The more I think about it, the more I believe that the Kind Words 2 soundtrack was my favorite of 2024. At the very least, it’s the answer that comes to me instinctively whenever I’m asked—and whenever I want to prove my "indie cred" by not just citing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Signed by the same Clark Aboud who had already enchanted me with the first installment, I wanted to learn more about this low-profile composer whose work I follow with great interest.
To start, could you introduce yourself? Tell us a bit about your journey in music, and more specifically, in composing original soundtracks.
Clark Aboud : I was lucky to grow up around music, so I’ve always had a chance to play, starting with piano, followed by picking up guitar and learning how to produce. Video games were also a part of growing up; my first game was Donkey Kong Country on the Game Boy Color, which is, of course, an all-timer when it comes to game soundtracks. I wasn’t aware of composing for games as a career until later on, when I was starting to produce and started focusing in on the music whenever I was playing games. From there it was exploring indie games and getting to know the people making them, which led to joining in, and slowly collaborating on more and more projects.
I (miraculously) dodged the Slay the Spire fever and only discovered your work through Kind Words. Just between these two albums, there’s already a clear stylistic contrast. On one hand, a rather direct orchestral sound; on the other, relaxing lo-fi music. Is that kind of creative freedom something you really enjoy in your work?
CA : I absolutely enjoy writing in different genres, and I listen to a lot of different genres, so wanting to explore and write in those genres is just something I’m drawn to doing. While the styles can change, I do feel there’s a connection between everything I write—certain intervals, harmonies, chord changes, and affectations I love to hear when writing. I think playing with what will support the atmosphere and action of the game I’m working on is what I enjoy; finding out what that sound and style will be is a great part of the journey when writing the score.
I’m reaching out today partly because Kind Words 2 has one of my favorite soundtracks of 2024. I absolutely loved every track you composed for the game. And yet, once again, there’s a noticeable stylistic shift—it’s right there in the title: this time, it’s city pop instead of lo-fi. Can you tell us more about that?
CA : I was excited when Ziba and Luigi, the developers of the Kind Words games, told me that the idea and subtitle for Kind Words 2 was City Pop, as there’s so much amazing music and so many amazing musicians to be inspired by in the genre. The lo-fi, bedroom-production vibe of the first was still going to be present, but the City Pop side really opened up new choices with how it uses specific harmonies, given there’s a lot of nice dissonance alongside the positive, upbeat grooves. It also led to instrumental choices like more guitars, bass, vintage synths, and expanding the palette with recording sessions with saxophone, brass, woodwinds, violins, and harp.
I haven’t played the game, but from what I understand, Kind Words 2 is much, much more ambitious than the first Popcannibal game. More than just a letter-exchanging software, it’s now almost a full-fledged social network. Did that change the way you approached the music for this experience?
CA : It changed the approach in that we had some great opportunities to have the music adapt to the new spaces you can explore in the game. The first Kind Words game had one main space, while the sequel has many, each with their own atmosphere, so having the music’s arrangements adapt depending on where you are felt like a nice support as you’re moving throughout the city.
My favourite track from the soundtrack is "Pastel"—I could honestly listen to it on repeat. It’s exactly the kind of music I love. It’s rhythmic, melancholic, built on a simple loop that still finds ways to evolve—especially with the arrival of the saxophone, which feels like a fireworks display. Can you tell us more about how that track came to life?
CA : The sample that makes up that core loop which the track is built from actually comes from the soundtrack for an earlier Popcannibal game, Cyrano. Originally a guitar trio piece, I resampled it here, chopping it up into small pieces and changing the pitch to find a new melody. When that main loop felt solid, I started building around it with electric keys, synths, and drums. Being City Pop, I knew we needed a saxophone solo somewhere in the soundtrack, so I recorded a solo on electric guitar and worked with Josh Plotner (who’s also played on the first Kind Words and Popcannibal’s Make Sail) to bring it to life on sax. It’s one of my favourites too, and I think it shows some of my favourite parts of the lo-fi side and City Pop side of the soundtrack.
For the Lost Eidolons soundtrack, you worked with your sister Sophie on two tracks. With this project, you returned to a more orchestral style—very RPG in the traditional sense. Your sister, under the name Doe Hadfield, usually works in a pop/dance genre. Did you have to convince her to join the project, or was she immediately curious and jumped in naturally?
CA : Sophie didn’t need any convincing. Films, art, and stories have been a source of inspiration for her writing, and her lyrics always craft a strong narrative, no matter what the genre of music is, so creating songs to bookend the game’s story was a natural fit. The brief for the songs was very loose—just a sentence or two the developers provided—but with the concept art and story arc, Sophie really set up the atmosphere to capture the right feeling for the opening and closing. I’m a big fan of using original songs to set the stage in games, so here’s hoping there’s another project that we can write some songs for again.
Can you tell us about your current projects? Will we get to hear your music in any new games in 2025?
CA : We’ve just added four new tracks to Kind Words 2 alongside some new features Ziba and Luigi have been working on, and I’m currently writing the soundtrack for Slay the Spire 2, which will be released in early access this year and I’m incredibly excited for. A few others that are also in the pipeline, with some more genres that have been great to dive into.
Do you keep up with the work of your fellow video game composers? Are there any names we should have on our radar—colleagues whose work you really admire?
CA : Absolutely, as we experience a lot of the same challenges, I find game composers tend to gravitate towards each other. Later this month, my friend Mark Benis is releasing his soundtrack for the western adventure game Rosewater; it has all the best parts of the classic western scores, and the great harmonic choices he makes sound so effortless.
And finally, of course, I’d love to know what you’re listening to in your free time! What are your current music recommendations?
CA : I saw Caribou in concert last month, so I’ve been re-listening to his albums where there’s always a ton of inspiration to find. And anything by Rachel Portman will be in the rotation; I’ve been listening to her soundtracks since I started getting into film and game music—they’re always nice to come back to.
