The Soundtrack To Making A Book

Music that inspired Haru: Book 3

I listen to music alot. Especially when writing. Especially when drawing. Especially when colouring. Basically all the time. While working on a Graphic Novel, it can help me get into a kind of 'flow state' and feel more like I'm walking through the pages of the book. Each book has it's own soundtrack, and the images in my mind become intertwined with the music and the process.

I thought I’d share some of the music that became the soundtrack to Haru: Book 3. I don't know if any of this is surprising or predictable, I guess that doesn't matter, but it all helped to shape and inform what the final book became.

Lambert - Sweet Apocalypse

This is a beautiful, piano-led, contemporary classical record. I love contemporary classical music, for the moods it conjures, and helps my brain to ease away into a different world.

Eidola - Eviscerate

A heavy prog rock / metal album. If you like the heavy side of Dance Gavin Dance, check this out. It’s probably my favourite record from the Swancore bands at the moment, and it helped keep my energy levels high when working on climactic scenes.

Grima - Nightside

An amazingly atmospheric, black metal album. It reminds me of Cult of Luna crossed with Cradle of Filth. It uses some really interesting folk instrumentation in places too, which makes it stand out.

The Callous Daoboys - Celebrity Therapist

A wildly inventive, erratic and aggressive album. One of the most creative pieces of heavy music I’ve heard. I listened to this on repeat while colouring the book at the end, and it helped keep me focused and helped to appreciate different tracks each time. Think Dillinger Escape Plan meets Brand New. It’s weird and wonderful.

Bonus round:

Kevin Atwater - Achilles

I think I’m detoxing from the marathon of finishing the book here, and this album is one of the most beautiful and heartwrenching folk records I’ve heard in years. It reminds me of Elliott Smith but also has it’s own unique feel. It’s beautiful, painful, cleansing and just special. Definitely feels like a recovery album for me.

Anyway, I hope that’s interesting for a little bit of insight. I think the nature of the third Haru book is quite high action, lots of peril, and raised emotional stakes, and that meant my brain ended up relying on higher energy music.

If you like the sound of any of the above records, I do recommend checking them out. They’re all amazing (provided you’re in to that kind of thing, of course).