PokéTunes part IV: Galarian Music
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Art by lydian.
Introduction
lydian
I usually refrain from writing the introduction because I'm really bad at introductions—as you can tell—but I really wanted to write this one because of Sword & Shield's situation. The game was filled with controversy; between Dexit and some rushed assets, there was an underlying concern the game could not live up to expectations. However, my biggest concern was with the music. Pokémon has always had great music, so I was afraid it would suffer too. Thankfully, it did not. The music in this game is arguably the best the series has ever seen, with dozens and dozens of beautiful tracks, and we're picking six of them to review, plus four honorable mentions to analyze a total of ten songs from the beautiful soundtrack of these games. Whether Sword & Shield was a rushed game that doesn't meet the standards of the Switch or the perfect Pokémon game is all up to you to decide. But I think it's crystal clear the music in these games is outstanding. We hope you enjoy our article!
Boutique Theme
avarice
The boutique theme sounds out of place in a way. I expected a more light and upbeat track that just wants you to shop 'til you drop. However, the boutique theme takes a page from Splatoon with its sound and could really have been used for a battle. It took some getting used to, as choosing your fashion is not the most intense thing to do in the Galar region. The boutique theme has a quick tempo like one would expect but does not have a smooth loop to get lost in, which is certainly interesting given how previous shops were. Ultimately, I have come to appreciate the hype that comes with this shopping theme as someone who spends a lot of time customizing the Trainer, taking advantage of all the opportunities to listen to the theme with the fair amount of boutiques you encounter throughout the game.
LuckyPiper
I heard this song and wasn't really sure why it was for the clothing store. I think half of this melody does indeed sound like shopping, but the other half sounds like some sort of intense battle is going underway. I can imagine this being played if Team Yell hijacked the boutique and decided to play their own music over the theme that the store usually has playing. But overall I think this song is way too hype for clothes shopping, and I'm not fully sure why it was used for the boutique theme. I could almost see this being the Sword & Shield intro song. I wish I had something like this playing in some of my Gym and Elite Four battles. I can literally imagine being the Trainer, standing in a stadium playing one of the biggest Pokémon games of my life with this playing overhead and fans cheering as we duke it out to see who's gonna be the Pokémon Champion. I enjoyed it, though, as it's a cool mesh of peaceful shopping music and intense battle music.
Galar Mine
lydian
Jazzy chords are a great way to start any song, and then we get that juicy wah guitar followed by a slap bass and a really sick synth, all while keeping the jazzy chords. This culminates in a really flawless song, honestly, and my favorite amongst all of Galar's soundtrack. It just feels like everything here is working for that mood. The drums are pretty cool and really fit this kind of electro jazzy industrial vibe the song is going for, and damn that electric guitar in the climax of the song is just icing on the cake. It honestly reminds me a lot of Splatoon's and Persona's soundtrack, with the industrial, grimy, and electronic vibes all working together for a really cohesive and feel-good song. Funnily enough, another track this reminds me of is Driftveil's Gym from BW2. They both have this similar vibe, and I find it at least interesting that Game Freak's music team decided that caves and underground seem to have an association with funk, which is kind of fitting in a sense, but I really don't know why. I personally wish they'd do more themes with this vibe, be it for a large city, a cave again, or really anything that floats their boat.
Now let's focus on the track itself. I already focused on the instrumentation, and it really gets me, but this track also has other notable attributes going for it. I don't have a transcription of the tune, but I'm pretty sure it avoids the normal diatonic scale quite a few times to go for that jazzy vibe, and the same can be said for the presence of dominant chords that not only help emphasize that style as well but help give the song's harmony a LOT more movement. This all culminates in a really badass song that seems to use every single tool it can possibly can to highlight its style. If I have one complaint it's that the theme's a tad short; I'd love to see more of that wah guitar but with a different progression, just build on the idea more! I think this is especially true for a cave song you're gonna be listening to on repeat for a bit. Overall, a nigh flawless tune!
Alakazam
The Galar Mine theme is interesting in the way it starts off, given the location it sets itself in: it starts out with a soft, quieter tune, with the notes dripping softly off the stalactites of its environment and the colder, infrequent tune reflecting the crystalline objects found within the cave. However, once the entrance is moved past, the bass guitar sets in, giving the vibe a much earthier and robust feeling, which lasts for a dozen or so seconds, before the energy once again dips, returning to the icier atmosphere that it led with.
To me, the song seems like the journey one would take when exploring an active mine in a fantasy environment. There's an initial timid curiosity, a wanderer carefully noticing their surroundings in the beginning of the cave before moving on to the center, where most of the miners are found, adding a human element to a dark and damp environment indicated by the bass guitar. Then, after moving past that, there's a return to the colder tone, this time due to exploring the deepest reaches of the mine, where no one dares to go. I don’t actually know if this is accurate to the Galar Mines themselves, since I haven’t played Sword and Shield, but that's certainly what the song describes for me.
A funny little thing to end this on: the song actually reminds me of the music you may hear from a Sonic the Hedgehog game, with the funky bass guitar melding with electronic tones, like a level from Sonic CD or one of Knuckles's missions from Sonic Adventure 1 or 2.
Bede Battle Theme
Estronic
I don't know if it's just me who does this, but sometimes it take me a couple of listens to actually enjoy a song. As such, when I first heard Bede's battle theme, it didn't quite click with me. For some reason, the electricity of the song didn't sound in sync with the underlying beat, making the battle theme sound all over the place and giving me motivation to finish the first battle with him quickly. However, I guess my ears were playing tricks on me, as after a few more listens the song started to get in tune. It really captures the feeling of a battle, hyping you up for whatever's next. Unfortunately, I wouldn't really say Bede is best fit for the theme, since the Pokémon that he has on his teams aren't really what you would call hype. Bede himself isn't really too hype either; he's just kind of an asshole for the majority of the game. Regardless of the person it's attached to, Bede's battle theme is overall a great hype song to get your blood flowing and the electricity going.
Decem
Imagine this: you're exploring a cave, catching and leveling up your Pokémon, and suddenly a white haired, hot-headed Pokémon trainer with a sneer on his face pops up and haughtily challenges you to a Pokémon battle to determine who is stronger. You know you have to beat him to show him who's boss (or to just progress in the story), so you wearily accept. I was taken aback a bit when Bede first challenged me and I first heard this theme. Rival themes in Pokémon games are typically known to be fast-paced and energetic in order to match their mood when challenging the player, and Bede's is no different. As I found out later, Bede himself is one of the more antagonizing rivals throughout the Pokémon franchise, and his theme matches his personality. The electricity in Bede's theme is perfect for describing his determination at becoming better and better as a Pokémon Trainer, determined not to let his superior, Chairman Rose, down. Like Oleana's theme, this theme also includes some buildup into a more dramatic escape, which mirrors Bede's mischievous intentions when he is not trying to knock you down in battle.
Once Upon A Time
LuckyPiper
I really don't know what it is about this theme, but it feels like it's not from a Pokémon game. Normally we have either repetitive, exciting battle music or really slow and peaceful music you hear in some of the towns; not to say the old songs are bad, this one just feels different. But when it comes to "Once Upon a Time" I feel as though I'm discovering a hidden temple, learning some backstory in a Zelda game, or possibly finding some ancient ruins in another RPG game. I think it fits in Pokémon just fine; I just don't feel like we've heard a lot of songs like this over the generations.
The song "Once Upon a Time" is played when they tell you about the lore of the legends, and I think that's absolutely the feeling I get when I'm hearing this. Like ruins or a temple, you know this song symbolizes that something ancient and powerful is being discussed or taking place. I hope songs like this continue to appear when ancient Pokémon and lore are discussed because it gives a feeling of almost nostalgia listening to this song, like you know exactly what's happening without even playing the game; you're able to tell just from the sound. There are a few parts where it dips down into a more relaxing tune, but it all comes together and makes one beautiful melody.
avarice
"Once Upon A Time" plays when the game's going over the lore of the legends and gives an air of mystery. It's mostly relaxing without being outright boring like previous themes when going over stories about the legendaries. The track reminds me of the Delta Episode in ORAS when visiting Zinnia. Given how early on you encounter the legendary of the game and how you learn about its origins throughout, this initial track is a calming introduction to the hidden secrets that have yet to be revealed. The start is majestic and eases into the voices naturally without being irritable like some of the cheers in battle themes. The brass also gives the track a touch reminiscent of royalty, fitting with the Sword and Shield theme and tapestry you see during the game's story. Overall a solid, peaceful way to get into Galar's history.
Oleana Battle Theme
Decem
This is my favorite theme in all of Pokémon Sword and Shield, and I think it's very well done. Oleana's theme is a perfect reflection of her determination to help Macro Cosmos's plan succeed and prevent the player from confronting Chairman Rose. This, along with her sudden reveal of sinister character, makes this theme one of the most adequate in the games. There are times in the music where there is dark, dramatic buildup, and then it simply moves onto a fast-paced and energetic tune. Another thing to note is that the music is a good portrayal of where the battle itself takes place: Rose Tower. As the player, you can feel the dramatic flare behind both Oleana's madness and the excitement of having a battle with Dynamax on top of the infamous Rose Tower with tons of fresh air. I honestly think that Oleana's theme is more well done than her superior Chairman Rose's theme, which is a good reflection on how the duo operates. Oleana does most of the work, and Chairman Rose is the face of the Macro Cosmos's group, which is why his theme sounds more "majestic" but Oleana's theme is more "energetic" and are more sudden buildups and flares in comparison to his.
lydian
To be truthful, I'm not very big on nearly all battle themes; they just seem a bit too much for my taste, but Oleana's is great! The heavy electronic bass and the hard-hitting drums are a really cool edge that definitely works to bring me some hype, a thing battle themes rarely accomplish, but when the strings kick in, it really shows how well thought out this theme truly is. The contrast of the heavy and stubborn drums and bass (since it seems to be mostly a pedal bass as far as I can tell, refusing to move to the next note) and the beautiful violins and violas at the start, as well as some of the lighter electronic, shows the dichotomy of her persona like day and night. On one hand, she keeps her Trubbish and her sense of self, which is highlighted by the strings, and the repeating bass and drums show loyalty to her boss, although clearly an unhealthy one. She is conflicted between these two pieces of herself and it shows. This is not only because of the instrumentation, though, but the contrasting melodies are also super important for that feel the song is going for. The repeating pedal bass seems to show themselves as much darker in tone, while you always feel that the strings, horns, and light electronic synthesizers are always trying to show a brighter melody and more of Oleana's "good" side.
About the song on its own merits, though, it has a really sick B section exploring more of that electronic and heavy part, and the strings even show up but outline a much more hopeless and heavy melody, which is the main exception for what I just talked about—perhaps by battling and trying to stop you she is ceding herself for her master's plan? I don't know. But it's still a really sick part of the song. If I have a nitpick it's that the melody itself in the part with the horns isn't really my favorite. It feels like your standard Pokémon battle theme melody, and perhaps that's what I don't like about it. I'm super glad about the direction this battle song goes to, though; Game Freak really should experiment with different stuff in their battle themes, as what they're doing here, for the most part, is a step in the right direction for me.
Battle Tower
Alakazam
I cannot lie, the reason I decided to review this song is because I am a huge fan of the musical works of the composer, Toby Fox. Memes and cringe fanbase aside, the soundtrack from his most successful work Undertale is one of my absolute favorite VGM soundtracks, up there with Mega Man X and Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game. Hearing his unique interpretation of battle themes play out in a main series Pokémon game is still mind boggling to think about. Within the theme of the Battle Tower, you can hear an introduction to the tune of a normal Game Freak song, beginning with triumphant horns that you might’ve heard in ORAS and then sharply cutting to a more 8-bit sound font, a fast beat in the background leading the way for a synthesized main tune. It immediately gives a rush of intensity and makes sure a player listening to this theme will give the battles in the Battle Tower attention and focus.
This all being said, the actual song itself unfortunately lacks the characterization and subtext often heard within the pieces of Toby Fox’s most iconic works; when I hear this song, I don’t immediately connect it to the inherent difficulties of facing a gauntlet of opponents, with any loss being unacceptable, as one might expect in the Battle Tower. In this regard, it is comparably bland when placed against Toby Fox’s other works, similar instead to "Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans," which likewise simply indicates to the listener that there is certainly a battle, but not giving any indication to the importance of said battle, only going through the motions of a "cool battle theme." Despite all of this, it certainly isn’t a bad song, just not the best that could have come forth from the composer.
Estronic
I must confess that I never actually played Undertale, but Toby Fox did an amazing job at making an iconic soundtrack for that game, since it did impress Game Freak enough to get him a song in Sword and Shield. If you know his music well, you can definitely tell that Toby composed the battle theme you hear in the Battle Tower, and he doesn't disappoint. The fast tempo, the upbeat sounds, and the glorious trumpets help to make this song triumph among most songs in the games. I find myself humming the song when doing work, and I sometimes move to the beat of it when listening to it in the Battle Tower, so it obviously achieved in being an addictive song in my book. The only problem I have with it, however, is how it feels isolated from the other songs in the games' soundtrack. Toby has such a unique style of composing that doesn't really align with what we're used to in Pokémon as a whole, so it ends up being a sore thumb. Additionally, it's not really a song that would fit in a game like Pokémon, but rather a game genre that has more fast-paced game play. Regardless of being an oddity, the Battle Tower is a really catchy tune and a great and pleasant surprise to all of us given its composer.
Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mention #1: Battle! Eternatus (Phase 3)
Alakazam
I'm a sucker for battle themes. The opening piano and violin complement each other wonderfully, giving a faint indication of hope as you are given aid against the ridiculously bulky Eternamaxed Eternatus. Then, the transition into guitar, paired with faint howling in the background, turns the small glimmer of hope into a powerful blaze, fitting wonderfully as Eternatus is slowly but surely beat down. I did think it was a bit too uninspired after the guitar and howling goes away, though, giving the hint of an end credits theme when the battle isn't even over (which is the same issue I had with the awful Champion theme), but this doesn't last for that long.
Honorable Mention #2: Hop's Encounter Theme
avarice
Hop like the other rivals in recent games is generally kind and supportive. Naturally, his encounter theme is just as peppy as his attitude, particularly at the start of the game. The beginning is reminiscent of a battle theme, amping up with the whistle-esque sounds. The theme is constantly upbeat and keeps the rivalry fresh, even while Hop struggles to escape his brother's shadow and Bede's taunting. Hop's encounter theme really is simply a fun track that I do not mind having to hear with every single challenge from him.
Honorable Mention #3: Battle! Gym Leader Piers
Estronic
Piers is one of my favorite characters in the game, and part of it is due to his killer battle theme. It really captures his personality and breaks the tradition of all of the gym leaders having the same theme, and I definitely agree that the honor goes to him for that. I also really enjoy the rock influence it utilizes, though I feel like the chanting in the background could be toned down a bit (I may as well say that for practically every song in Sword and Shield, though). I also have a soft spot for Guzma's battle theme, so when Piers's battle theme reminded me of his, I imagined how great Piers's could be if it took a little more inspiration from his.
Honorable Mention #4: Motostoke City
lydian
Motostoke City's theme reminds me a lot of Unova's music but with a modern Pokémon vibe, and that's precisely what it is. The woodwind and brass make it feel fresh, which is definitely a bit of a contrast with the post-industrialized city of Motostoke. The synth lines, the bassline, and the metallic percussions add a bit of that feeling that makes this city what it is. What I like most here, though, is the intertextuality with Unova's music, as Galar is based in the UK and Unova is supposedly based on New York, so there's plenty of reasons for this song to remind me of Castelia City and Nimbasa City, among others. And in general, this song has a very well-crafted melody, which sounds really nice with the string and brass supporting it.
Conclusion
Decem
With every new Pokémon game comes new great music and soundtracks, and Pokémon Sword and Shield is no different. We encourage you to listen to these songs and some of the other songs included these games because there sure are many. Until next time, tune into Pokétunes for your favorite Pokémon beats!
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