Deep Stone Lullaby is the most gorgeous piece of game music that you've never heard
Tucked away inside Destiny 2's latest raid is a melancholy slice of sci-fi magic that players have fallen in love with.
Seriously, I think Deep Stone Lullaby might be my favourite piece of game music of all time. Therefore I now consider it my duty to share it with as many of you as possible, because the only place the song plays is tucked away in the middle of Destiny 2's latest raid. In order to get the full experience, you'd ideally listen to the song in its original context, but realistically I doubt you're going to play a raid just on my musical recommendation. So let me try to break down its otherworldly beauty for you here.
Deep Stone Lullaby is part of the jumping puzzle of the Deep Stone Crypt raid, which takes place after a frantic encounter during which the six-person fireteam has been shuttling back and forth between a sinister robot-producing laboratory and a weapons satellite. The encounter is actually a bit of a pushover now, but on day one it was a severe difficulty spike and a lot of teams got stuck. For those who beat it, the reward is an incredible space walk sequence. Think Moonraker meets Mass Effect as the team traverses the exterior of the satellite, while exchanging fire with enemies, all the while looking down on the moon Europa far below.
Midway through the section, the Deep Stone Lullaby begins playing. It begins with a mix of dainty piano and synths, and then over the course of just over three minutes, swells with strings and light choral ahhhhhhhhs, before dropping back to the original piano motif. Listen for yourself, but the vibe I get is Michael Nyman's Gattaca soundtrack mixed with some of the OG Halo magic. Sometimes beautiful isn't a big enough word.
Adding to the elegiac vibes, the fireteam's trip is also accompanied by the pontifications of mad scientist Clovis Bray, who rants about securing eternal life for humanity (by turning them into robots) and delivering "godlike judgment" (by blowing up Europa). You can watch the in-game sequence below, courtesy of content creator Aztecross.
Like many others, Aztecross calls the Deep Stone Lullaby space walk sequence the moment he fell in love with the new raid. The Destiny 2 community rarely agrees on anything, but here the acclaim has been universal. That section of the raid instantly became one of the most beloved moments in the series' history.
In the weeks since the raid dropped, fans have created a 10-hour looped version of Deep Stone Lullaby (perfect for falling asleep to, according to one of my clan mates), and numerous covers, including lo-fi and post-rock versions. I also love this faithful piano and violin take from Eric Chung. You can of course also buy the OST from the Bungie store.
I'd love to hear some of your song recommendations for stuff you think that's as pretty as Deep Stone Lullaby, but bear in mind that we're only talking single-tear-rolling-down-your-cheek levels of beauty here.