You’re walking through the rain-slicked streets of Krat. Everything is broken. The puppets are screaming, the blood is drying on the cobblestones, and honestly, you're probably about three seconds away from getting flattened by a mechanical police officer. Then, you find a record. You head back to Hotel Krat, slide that vinyl out of its sleeve, and suddenly, the horror stops. A haunting, melodic tune fills the room. It’s "Feel." It’s beautiful. And just like that, the Lies of P soundtrack does something most games never manage—it makes you feel like the world is worth saving.
Most people talk about the "Soulslike" difficulty or the "P-Organ" upgrades, but the music is the secret sauce. It isn't just background noise. Neowiz and Round8 Studio treated the score like a character. It breathes. It bleeds. It’s a mix of Belle Époque elegance and total, absolute mechanical nightmare.
The Records Are the Heartbeat of the Story
In most games, collectibles are just junk. You find a shiny trinket, it goes into a menu, and you never look at it again. Lies of P changed the game by making the Lies of P soundtrack a physical part of the world. Finding these records is basically the only way to track your "Humanity" points.
When you play a record like "Quixotic" or "Shadow Flower" at the Hotel, the music isn't just for the player; it's for P. As the song plays, you see a message: "Your springs are reacting." It’s kind of a weird way to say you're becoming a real boy, right? But it works. The music acts as a bridge between the cold, hard gears of a puppet and the warmth of a human soul.
The track "Feel" by Seo Juyeong is usually the first one players find, and it sets a massive bar. It’s got this bossa nova, jazzy vibe that feels completely out of place in a city full of murderous robots. But that’s the point. It’s a relic of a time before everything went to hell. If you listen to it all the way through, you earn Humanity. If you skip it, you stay a machine. The game is literally testing your patience and your appreciation for art.
Why the Boss Music Hits Different
Boss themes in these types of games are usually just "Loud Orchestral Screaming." You know the vibe—lots of chanting in Latin and violins that sound like they're being tortured. The Lies of P soundtrack takes a different path.
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Take the "King of Puppets" fight. The music starts with this grand, theatrical flair because, well, you're on a stage. It’s a performance. But as the fight progresses and Romeo reveals himself, the tone shifts. It becomes desperate. It becomes personal. It’s not just "kill the big monster" music; it’s "two tragedies colliding" music.
The Minds Behind the Melodies
We have to talk about the composers. This wasn't a one-man job. The team, including names like Lay Back Studio and various Korean indie artists, brought a unique flavor that you don't typically hear in Western-developed RPGs. There’s a distinct K-Indie and pop-ballad influence hidden under the classical layers.
- Seo Juyeong: The voice behind "Feel." Her tone is airy, melancholic, and perfect for a dying city.
- AELYN: She provided the vocals for "Memory of Beach," a track that basically guarantees you'll be sitting at the record player for three minutes doing absolutely nothing but staring at the screen.
- The Orchestral Team: They handled the heavy lifting for the boss fights, using sweeping strings to mimic the Belle Époque era of 19th-century France.
The diversity is wild. You go from a somber piano piece to a high-octane orchestral swell in "Scrapped Watchman," which uses discordant notes to highlight the fact that the boss is literally a malfunctioning piece of junk. It’s brilliant sound design.
The Mystery of the Golden Records
If you’ve played through New Game Plus, you know about the Golden Records. These aren't just repeats. They are variations. They represent the "Lies" and the "Truths" of the world. Collectibles like "Proposal, Flower, Wolf Part 1" are staples for fans, but the sheer effort it takes to track down every piece of the Lies of P soundtrack is a testament to how much the developers valued the audio experience.
Honestly, most players miss out on the nuance of the music because they’re too busy trying not to get parried into oblivion. But if you take the time to actually listen to the lyrics—many of which are in English—they tell the story of the puppets' longing for life.
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Why Vinyl Was the Perfect Choice
Choosing vinyl records as the medium for the in-game music was a stroke of genius. There’s a scratchiness to the audio. A warmth. It contrasts perfectly with the metallic "clink-clink" of P’s footsteps. The Lies of P soundtrack feels fragile. In a world where everything is made of steel and powered by "Ergo," something as delicate as a spinning disc of wax feels incredibly precious.
It also taps into that real-world vinyl revival. People want to touch their music again. Neowiz actually released a physical 3-LP vinyl set because the demand was so high. It sold out almost instantly. Fans didn't just want to hear the music while playing; they wanted it on their shelves. That rarely happens for a new IP.
Comparing Lies of P to Bloodborne’s Score
Everyone makes the comparison. "It’s just steampunk Bloodborne." While the gameplay has similarities, the music is a totally different beast. Bloodborne is cosmic horror. Its music is meant to make you feel small and insane. The Lies of P soundtrack is different because it wants you to feel sad.
There’s a romanticism in the tracks that FromSoftware usually avoids. Tracks like "Fascination" (the instrumental version you hear in the opera house) are hauntingly beautiful in a way that feels human. It’s not about gods and monsters; it’s about people who tried to build a utopia and ended up with a graveyard.
Practical Ways to Experience the Music
If you're looking to dive deep into the score, you shouldn't just stick to the in-game record player.
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- Check the Official Streaming Platforms: The full OST is on Spotify and Apple Music. It’s over 60 tracks long. If you're working or studying, the "Record" tracks are top-tier lo-fi beats to lose your mind to.
- The "Lies" vs. "Truth" nuance: Pay attention to how the music changes depending on your choices. Certain endings give you a different perspective on the themes you've been hearing the whole game.
- High-End Headphones are a Must: The directional audio in the boss themes—especially the way the violins pan during the "Green Monster of the Swamp" fight—is incredible.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think the music is just "French-inspired." It’s actually much more eclectic. There are traces of waltz, tango, and even some experimental electronic undertones in the more "mechanical" areas of the game like Venigni Works. The Lies of P soundtrack is a collage. It’s a mix of old-world European tradition and modern Korean production sensibilities.
Also, a lot of players think you have to be at the Hotel to hear the music. While the records are Hotel-only, the environmental themes in places like the Rosa Isabelle Street are layered. They change as you move closer to the singers or the gramophones scattered throughout the levels. It’s an immersive experience that most people sprint right past because they're scared of a puppet jumping out of a wardrobe.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you want the full experience, here is what you should actually do:
- Listen to the full tracks: Don't just play the record and run away to talk to Geppetto. Stay. Let the Humanity message pop up. It actually affects the ending of your game.
- Search for the "Misty E'er" track: It’s one of the most overlooked songs in the game but contains some of the best vocal work.
- Look for the 8-bit versions: There are hidden references to the music in various promotional materials and even subtle nods in the game’s sound effects that mimic the melodies of the main themes.
The Lies of P soundtrack is a masterclass in how to use audio to tell a story that words can't quite capture. It takes a game about puppets and turns it into a game about what it means to have a heart. Whether you're a fan of the "Soulslike" genre or just someone who appreciates a damn good cello solo, this score is mandatory listening.
To truly appreciate the depth of the composition, go back to the gallery in the main menu and look at the character designs while the theme plays. You’ll start to see the visual cues that match the auditory ones—the jagged edges of the music reflecting the broken porcelain of the bosses. It’s a complete package.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
- Download the digital soundtrack if you purchased the Deluxe Edition; it includes high-fidelity FLAC files that reveal layers of the orchestration you won't hear on a standard YouTube stream.
- Track your Humanity: If you're aiming for the "Rise of P" ending, playing every record you find from start to finish is a non-negotiable requirement for boosting your humanity levels.
- Compare the "Record" versions to the "Live" versions: Many songs in the game have two versions—one played on a gramophone and one that serves as environmental BGM. Noticing the subtle differences in mixing can give you a deeper appreciation for the sound engineering team's work.