Peter Connelly is one of my most revered composers, not only for being involved in some of my all-time favourite games growing up, but because the music he created for those games expanded upon Nathan McCree’s iconic formula for Tomb Raider in a way that made it, arguably, better. By the time Connelly came in to compose the scores for Tomb Raider’s 4-6, the direction taken amped up the sombre sophistication and exotic, Bondian-esque string arrangements to match the darker, more serious tone the series was heading in at the time. So, in light of the release of Tomb Raider IV-VI remaster, which came out a couple weeks ago, I thought it was a good time to catch up with the man responsible for the scores to these classic games.
As an established composer, what was your musical upbringing like?
It was relatively normal but I was always fascinated by music and musical instruments. My father introduced me to Burt Bacharach at a very early age and I was obsessed with Burt’s music, melodies, his approach to music and his arrangements, so much I remember wishing that, one day, I could also be writing for an orchestra.
I’ve not heard a Bacharach song since I was a kid, what a blast from the past. Bacharach’s known for so many catchy classic songs. His compositional style has a rich network of emotions, layered with a lot going on if you dig into a song, but there’s something immediately alluring and easy-going about them, largely because of how catchy they are. Is Burt Bacharach a huge influence on how you compose your own music?
I would say so; I love 7th and 9th chords and simple-but-effective progressions. I would say my “own” non-game compositions reflect this more, but it can be heard within [games I’ve composed] from time to time, more so in the PS2 game, Herdy Gerdy.
Are you or have you been in any bands?
I have been in several band when I was younger, thinking I wanted to be an international pop star but, to be honest, I was never comfortable with this as my happy place is being in the studio producing and messing with technology.
What style of music do you enjoy recreationally?
I am pretty much into electronic music but I’m savvy towards a decent production or a well-crafted song. The song that grabs my attention right now is “Messy” by Lola Young. Primarily, I am Gen X and grew up with music by Pet Shop Boys, New Order, The Smiths, Nik Kershaw, Go West, etc. They’re the soundtracks to my youth.
What’s some of the most interesting music coming from the electronic world these days?
The scores Hans Zimmer is writing for film are superb and second to none, he really is driving the electronic vibe with the world of cinematics and a lot have followed suit. It seriously works!
How did you end up becoming a composer?
It was always meant to be, I knew at a very young age I wanted to compose and/or produce music. I can’t remember a time not wanting to do this.
You’re primarily known for writing the music for the classic Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Chronicles and The Angel of Darkness games. What was your approach for writing the music, and how did Nathan McCree influence that?
Just being asked to work on Tomb Raider was enough to open the creative gates and, as me and Nathan had a very similar setup, I didn’t feel too far away from what needed to be done. I did want to put my stamp on the project but, as I was writing the TR4 theme, I knew I needed to draw influence from previous releases so it made sense to continue that journey.
You contributed to the sound design for Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft before taking the reins for 4-6. What was that experience like and how did the opportunity to compose 4-6 come to fruition?
There was some audio that urgently needed working on as the project was coming to an end, so I embraced this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At that time, I was mainly working on Herdy Gerdy, and it was the music I wrote for this that convinced my boss, Jeremy Heath Smith, to have the confidence in me to continue as Composer on TR4.
In last year’s remaster of Tomb Raider’s 1-3, the track “Boss 1”, which was originally used in TR4, was added to the Mutant Willard boss fight at the end of TR3, and I’m sure I read at the time the song was originally always meant to be in TR3. Why did it get omitted from the final game, as it gives the vibe of the scene a vastly more urgent and exciting feel to it?
Yeah, this song, although reworked for TR4, was originally intended for the Willard Boss in TR3. Unfortunately, by the time I presented the track to the masses, TR3 had already been sent to Sony for final QA and, as that particular version of TR3 got the green light, that build is what was used and that was the end of that. Thanks to the remasters though, the track finally got used for its original purpose 25 years on.
If you made “Boss 1” for TR3, were you composing your own songs for the game as well as Nathan?
No, it was just the Willard Boss theme I wrote for TR3
Tomb Raider: The Dark Angel Symphony is a gorgeous sounding project. What made you want to go back to your Tomb Raider works, and how did that become a reality?
I’m a typical creative, never happy, so I wanted to revisit old projects and satisfy my own demons (lol). It was initially an idea I never thought would come to fruition but, with a little bit of push and shove from others, it happened… and the funding from our Kickstarter campaign ensured it was going ahead.
Was the genesis of the redux down to not being able to capture lofty ideas back then, time constraints, technology or logistical challenges; or was it simply from experience and age where you heard those old songs years later and felt you could bring something fresh and exciting to the table?
I am never happy with what I do, so I’m always looking into ways to improve what I’ve done. The realisation of Tomb Raider: The Dark Angel Symphony was primarily down to the fact I wanted to improve upon the original recordings, and to work with some awesome people. That being said, with the exception of The Angel of Darkness, I was limited by the technology at the time, so going back to TR4 and TR5 allowed me to approach these songs with a modern set of tools. If nothing else, I need to learn to be happy with what it is I do, as I still want to re-do some of the songs from TDAS!
Tell us a little bit about your TRambient album. I was 16 when AOD came out and once Crystal Dynamics took over the franchise, I drifted away from it because I felt the series had lost intrinsic elements that made 1-6 so special. It wasn’t until I went back to the games a couple years ago, I realised one of those fundamental elements, which I hadn’t really paid much attention to as a kid, was horror. Isolation and horror are the core tenants of those games and TRambient highlights that perfectly. I adore how menacing it is; it’s easy to overlook a lot of what’s going on in the background when you’re playing the game, but there’s a wealth of genuinely awesome moods to unpack on that album, some of it is beautiful, calming and lonely, other parts feel fit to be in a fully-fledged horror game. What made you want to release the ambient elements of your music as a standalone album?
I wanted to embrace an opportunity as it’s part of the game not many people mention. When it was released, I was surprised at how well it was received and how much nostalgia it brought to its listeners. I really wasn’t expecting that; it’s actually one of my most listened to albums on Spotify.
What are your most memorable accomplishments outside of Tomb Raider?
I really enjoy working on the music I’m currently producing for Stumble Guys, they’re basic and fun which aligns perfectly with the game’s ideations and, as I don’t spend months working on the same thing, I don’t get bored or become overly productive with what I’m producing. A few other OSTs I did that I’m fairly fond of are Blackguards 2 and Speed Zone, a game produced on the Wii back in 2009. That is currently up on Spotify as Radioactive Metropolis “DNA Genocide” (I need to change this so it’s more obvious).
Have you got any new projects in the pipeline you can talk about?
Other than Stumble Guys, these are my babies right now. Can I talk about the DESIRE to work on the next Star Wars film?
You can follow Peter Connelly on all major socials, including Facebook and Instagram, and you can support him over on his website and TDAS site.
