Hey guys! Welcome to another Coffee Talk Tokyo devlog, this time all about the music. I’m AJ, the music composer for Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk Episode 2, and I’m back once again to compose the beloved, chill lo-fi music for our latest game.
When Chorus decided to continue the story of the Coffee Talk universe, it became obvious that one of the most important things to keep in mind was never losing the relaxing atmosphere that the music helped create in the previous games. So it was no surprise when they approached me again to create more chill, jazzy music. Seeing how Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk Episode 2 were so loved by players for their comforting experience, including the music, we decided to stick with what worked best: jazzy tunes and lo-fi chill hop music to listen to while drinking warm coffee in the middle of the rain.
The request was simple: create brand-new music, while also bringing back and remixing some tracks from previous Coffee Talk titles. The new music is there, of course, to bring fresh warmth to players’ ears. At the same time, I loved the idea of revisiting some of the more popular background tracks from Coffee Talk and Coffee Talk Episode 2, reusing and remixing them to create that sense of connection to past titles and keep longtime players engaged. Even during the remix process, as I revisited those older tracks, I loved how they could offer new perspectives with just a few careful changes and additions, allowing players to continue their musical journey with something both familiar and new.
At the same time, I also came up with a new musical idea when I first saw that Coffee Talk would now take place in Tokyo, something I had never really tried before. Since the new café is set in Japan, I thought, why not bring some Japanese influences into the music? Instruments like the koto, shakuhachi, and shamisen felt like perfect additions to incorporate into chill music. And that’s exactly what we did! I may not have experience playing traditional Japanese instruments myself, but I really put a lot of effort into researching, finding the right sounds, and building the right compositions and musical direction. Through this, I wanted to capture an authentic feeling and create a deeper cultural connection. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I hope you’ll feel the same. Also... have you noticed the names of the Japanese lo-fi tracks? What do you think? ;)
But it didn’t stop there! The Japanese cultural essence is really strong in this game, I would say, and that feeling became even stronger when we started exploring music that defined Japan’s 80s culture, and realized it would fit Coffee Talk Tokyo perfectly.
This all started when Kris suddenly asked me if we could add city pop music alongside the lo-fi soundtrack. My immediate thought was: why not! Fun fact, we actually already experimented with city pop vibes in Coffee Talk Episode 2, specifically for Rachel’s in-game music album. So continuing that direction for this new title felt completely natural.
With the help of other members of the Toge Productions audio team, we managed to create a complete city pop album, and I’m honestly really proud of how it sounds. I still love how both lo-fi and city pop can beautifully coexist throughout the game, creating a unique musical bond during those quiet, cozy moments. It may not create exactly the same relaxing feeling as the lo-fi album, but it offers something different while still giving you that same sense of comfort... hanging out with people in cozy places, sharing stories over coffee.
That’s all from me. It has been exciting work for an exciting project. This new concept has sparked my creativity all over again, and I truly hope it brings even more excitement and curiosity to players as they experience Coffee Talk Tokyo from beginning to end.
I hope you all enjoy the new music in Coffee Talk Tokyo. 🎵🎵🎵