There are a lot of things to love aboutAttack on Titan, from its epic action to tense interpersonal drama andvivid characterizations. All of these factors have made the anime one of the most popular series—animated or not—in the world, and the series’ powerful original soundtrack has in no small way helped to elevate the show to the international phenomenon it is. Composed by Hiroyuki Sawano (whose credits range everywhere else fromStudio Trigger’sKill la Killto the trailer forLeague of Legends’ Star Guardians), the series’ OST uses intensely eclectic instrumentation and vocals to hit at the core of the series’ emotional moments. For many fans, the music serves as one of the series’ most memorable highlights. While the intensity of the original soundtrack has wowed countless fans around the world, an interesting new reimagining comes from a pair of Japanese performers trained and specialized in—of all things—easy listening jazz.
Gentle Love, the stage name of jazz saxophonist Norihiko Hibino (performer on the soundtracks forMetal Gear Solid 4andtheBayonettaseries) and pianist AYAKI (performer forPersona QandEtrian Odyssey), are no strangers to adopting the music of pop culture for a more mellow musical ear. With their first attempt at adapting anime music, their forthcoming album aims to bring a sense of mellow tranquility to anime’s most traumatic dystopia.
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The album is titled “Prescription for Sleep: Attack on Titan”, and the endeavor marks the twelfth entry for the group’s Billboard-charting “Prescription for Sleep” album series. “Prescription for Sleep” originated fromGentle Love’s desire to reimagine some of the most iconic video game OSTs, and their previous albums have included adaptations of titles such asStardew ValleyandUndertale. ‘Attack on Titan’ marks the group’s first attempt at giving the easy-listening treatment to anime, and this territory is equally new for the record label Scarlet Moon Records, which otherwise specializes in all-things video game music. At fourteen tracks, the album is a robustly soothing adaptation of Sawano’s OST, in addition to other tracks originally taken from Kohta Yamamoto, Yuki Ando, and one original composition fromGentle Loveitself.
In the album’s accompanying booklet,Gentle Lovegives a unique perspective on their decision to adaptAttack on Titan’s soundtrack and its accompanying musical challenges: “The melodies inAttack on Titanare not quite straightforward and often went places I couldn’t predict…it seems to capture a certain world evoking unsettled feelings, so in that way, it has been the toughest project we’ve worked on yet. Our goal was to look at the music from a different angle and to bring peace to our soul.” The label producer at Scarlet Moon Records, Jayson Neapolitano, also remarks that the original source material “don’t particularly align with what Hibino-san is trying to do in therapeutic music, but our goal was to ‘bring peace’ to something so tragic and violent, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
Listening to the album’s tracks, there is a movingly fascinating contrast between the original score’s intense connotations and the simple, singular aim with which the artists render it in smooth jazz. The instrumentation fits with smooth jazz, whereas the relaxed tempo places it in the related ballpark of easy listening. This is a unique project that fully pays justice to the original compositions, while also self-assuredly projecting its own artistic direction. For fans ofAttack on Titanlooking to experience the OST’s emotional roller coaster in a more subdued way, this album is a must.
Prescription for Sleep: Attack on Titanreleases on June 16, 2025. Tracklisting and pre-order information can be found on theScarlet Moon Records Bandcamp page.
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