By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
World of SoftwareWorld of SoftwareWorld of Software
  • News
  • Software
  • Mobile
  • Computing
  • Gaming
  • Videos
  • More
    • Gadget
    • Web Stories
    • Trending
    • Press Release
Search
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Copyright © All Rights Reserved. World of Software.
Reading: Meet Anamanaguchi, the band behind the last Scott Pilgrim video game’s soundtrack – and the next one
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
World of SoftwareWorld of Software
Font ResizerAa
  • Software
  • Mobile
  • Computing
  • Gadget
  • Gaming
  • Videos
Search
  • News
  • Software
  • Mobile
  • Computing
  • Gaming
  • Videos
  • More
    • Gadget
    • Web Stories
    • Trending
    • Press Release
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Copyright © All Rights Reserved. World of Software.
World of Software > News > Meet Anamanaguchi, the band behind the last Scott Pilgrim video game’s soundtrack – and the next one
News

Meet Anamanaguchi, the band behind the last Scott Pilgrim video game’s soundtrack – and the next one

News Room
Last updated: 2025/10/10 at 7:20 AM
News Room Published 10 October 2025
Share
SHARE

Scott Pilgrim, the series of pop culture-saturated graphic novels by Canadian author and comic book artist Bryan Lee O’Malley, has become a timeless epic about teenage insecurity, love and redemption, and the intersection of arrogance and self-esteem – as well as a Canadian interpretation of emo, indie rock and shōnen-style comic books. It is a coming-of-age tale about an initially unlikable teenage boy growing up in the 00s, who matures through six graphic novels that deftly reference everything from Japanese manga to western superheroes, video games and Tintin. It is also, of course, a hit movie, a 2022 Netflix anime series, and a 2010 video game – the last two of which were soundtracked by New York City-based indie rock band Anamanaguchi.

‘My favourite scene in the Scott Pilgrim anime is where Knives and Kim are just jamming in a room together, and almost nothing happens,” laughs Peter Berkman, one of the lead songwriters and guitarists in the band. “It’s just one of those slice-of-life moments where you remember why you love music in the first place. It really struck a chord with me. No pun intended.”

Sex Bob-Omb in Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. Photograph: Album/Alamy

Anamanaguchi gained some notoriety for using video game hardware in their early, instrumental music, becoming one of the pioneering bands in the chiptune genre – all while they were still at college. During the band’s first self-funded tour, during which Berkman slept on the couch of the band he was supporting, he got amessage out of nowhere.

“I got an email from somebody working at Ubisoft about a video game for a universal IP tie-in, and they didn’t go any further than that. ‘Could that be the new Alien vs Predator game or something like that?’, I thought. But I knew that – no matter what – when I brought that back to the band, we would say yes to whatever it was … we had all grown up loving video game and movie soundtracks.” It turned out to be an invitation to compose music for the first Scott Pilgrim video game, which was released in 2010.

Now, Anamanaguchi is in the midst of a renaissance: in 2022, when the game was re-released as a Complete Edition, the band embarked on the Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game Soundtrack tour. Last year, the band wrote and performed music for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a Netflix spin-off that acts as a meta commentary on Scott’s life. Anamanaguchi supported Hatsune Miku in her Fortnite festival appearance this year, a perfect fit for a band whose identity has always rested at the intersection of video games and live music, and in August, they launched Anyway, their first record in six years, which trades in the band’s synth-based bleeps and blorps for something decidedly more alt-rock, though the 8-bit influences of its members still remain if you listen hard enough. And they’re also working on the soundtrack for a new Scott Pilgrim game, due out next year, another playful beat-’em-up.

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Pushing Buttons

Keza MacDonald’s weekly look at the world of gaming

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on .com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

after newsletter promotion

Peter Berkman of Anamanaguchi performing in 2015. Photograph: Gary Miller/Getty Images

As one arm of the band experiments with analogue sounds and alt-rock angst, the other is moving back to Scott Pilgrim. There is a direct link between Anamanaguchi’s return to the series and the new voice they’ve found on their records. “Doing the soundtrack for the new game, Scott Pilgrim EX, allowed us to see what it would be like to dampen that aspect in our own record world, knowing that we were going full in, soundtrack-style, on the game,” says Berkman.

Berkman says that in the 15 years between games, the band have matured when it comes to their approach to music. They have gained experience as producers, they have grown “as listeners of music”, and they have become even more excited by the range of styles that video game music represents.

“You need to feel that connection between what you’re experiencing as a player and – even in a beat-em-up! – what the story is trying to do at that moment,” says Berkman. “If a situation calls for a dark, gothic industrial thing, we can make that happen – and we can make it happen in a way it never has before… [Scott PilgrimEX developer Tribute Games] has let us be a hands-on with the audio mix. and with the musical cues we want. That freedom is extremely important to us. The flow of the music, the way it makes you feel… you can really feel the authorship in video game soundtracks.”

On the beach in Scott Pilgrim EX. Photograph: Tribute Games Inc

Having played a demo of Scott Pilgrim EX, it seems that Tribute Games’ trust in the band has paid off. The music is playful and toys with convention, setting up prompts or expectations, only to surprise you with how sound effects or motifs become part of a level’s texture. It actually reminds me of Sea Power’s work on Disco Elysium, strange as that comparison may seem to anyone who knows their music. Sea Power were given lot of creative control in adapting their sound to fit the morose world of Revachol, and Tribute Games has done the same here, even if the with pixel art, neon colours, and buoyant adolescence of it all deliver a completely different tone.

“Tribute Games has given us a level of freedom that can only be matched by a company just … not knowing what you’re doing,” laughs Berkman. “We’ve been able to be a part of the development process in a way that we weren’t in the last time, you know? We’re getting nightly builds, and we’re able to ask: ‘Is this stagnant? Do I need to add a part here?’ It really helps with the arrangement, and in understanding the feel. This is the soundtrack we’ve wanted to make.”

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Share
What do you think?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
Wink0
Previous Article Meta Tells Its Metaverse Workers to Use AI to ‘Go 5X Faster’
Next Article This 50 MB operating system can resurrect your old PC
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected

248.1k Like
69.1k Follow
134k Pin
54.3k Follow

Latest News

This Plex plugin finds and syncs subtitles so you don’t have to
News
Stealit Malware Abuses Node.js Single Executable Feature via Game and VPN Installers
Computing
Google Search Could Change Forever in the UK
Gadget
I busted my ex cheating on an app you’d NEVER expect – four more to check
News

You Might also Like

News

This Plex plugin finds and syncs subtitles so you don’t have to

6 Min Read
News

I busted my ex cheating on an app you’d NEVER expect – four more to check

6 Min Read
News

Apple’s Free Satellite Features on iPhone Available in These Countries

8 Min Read
News

5,500-year-old find gives ‘clearest evidence yet’ of detail in Bible

5 Min Read
//

World of Software is your one-stop website for the latest tech news and updates, follow us now to get the news that matters to you.

Quick Link

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Topics

  • Computing
  • Software
  • Press Release
  • Trending

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

World of SoftwareWorld of Software
Follow US
Copyright © All Rights Reserved. World of Software.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?