Cognitive Deviance

Soundtrack

Writing this story was both satisfying and exhausting. One thing that helped, however, was music. Lots and lots of music. Seriously.

This playlist is very different from other Wattpad playlists you may have seen. While all of them are associated with characters or specific story moments, most of these songs aren't your typical standard listening. Trust me, you won't find any K-pop, Billie Eilish, The Neighborhood, or Panic! at the Disco in here. If you're looking for that, pop into literally any other Wattpad story.

To get into the story, I needed things that were gritty, mechanical, sometimes detached, sometimes too attached, and evocative of all kinds of feelings both positive and negative, much like the story itself. Of course, considering this is a cyberpunk novel, I also geared more toward electronic music, ranging from soothing ambience to earsplitting dubstep. So in the process of writing, I relied a lot on two brilliant electronic artists: the legendary Aphex Twin and the massively underrated Lorn.

If you guys have heard of them, you are now some of my favorite people. If not, then welcome to a new world. A better world, in which you now know who Aphex Twin and Lorn are.

There are plenty of other things thrown in here as well, such as Ninja Tracks, the guys responsible for that cool music you hear in movie trailers, and even a few tracks from the soundtrack for Cyberpunk 2077, which I am currently playing (awesome soundtrack, great characters, excellent story, so-so everything else so far; although Cyberpunk Edgerunners is one of the best shows of 2022 without a doubt). But I just believe these most accurately represent what I was going for in that moment. And considering I'm hoping on constructing a screenplay out of this story, maybe I could even use them someday! Well, apart from the Cyberpunk soundtrack for obvious reasons.

One more thing to note: since this is essentially the story's soundtrack, I've written brief descriptions for the scene and character each song represents. As a result, there will be spoilers for the story. If you haven't read Cognitive Deviance already, I recommend you do that first and then come back. If you'd rather just listen to the music, then go ahead. You have been warned.

Without further ado, enjoy!

Ninja Tracks - City of Mirrors (My ideal trailer song for the story):

Lorn - Oxbow B (The story's main theme. Ominous, booming, synthetic)

Marconi Union - Sleepless (Margo's theme. Curious, peaceful, idealistic)

Aphex Twin - Rhubarb (Carl's theme. Warm, melancholic, tired)

Aphex Twin - Weathered Stone (Psychwatch's theme. Mechanical, vigilant, in control)

Lorn - Broken Mantra (The Multi Man's theme. Hostile, restrained, unpredictable)