ReMix:Undertale "Chillaxing Day" 4:07

It's always a good day to Tune in with Chewie, as Nestor Estrada turns his sights on Undertale & offers a charming lo-fi/indie rock take on "His Theme":

"I had a TON of fun working on this. As with all my arrangements, I generally like to try and experiment with different ways to really transform a VGM tune into something different. In this case, I wanted to go for an indie rock/pop sound with a hint of lo-fi aesthetic. Clairo and Arcade Fire were my inspiration for this tune. "His Theme" is pretty basic -- has a distinct melody and the same chord progression throughout (adding in layers as it goes). So this gave me the opportunity to really take the melody and just try out different ideas.

I approached this with a songwriter mentality (in terms of how it's structured and general vibe). Meaning, I wanted there to be a verse, chorus, bridge, etc. I also wanted to avoid just playing the melody the same way throughout to avoid repetition and boredom (both for myself and the listener). So I took liberties with the melody during the verses and bridge. I kept certain rhythmic elements as well as hang around the notes you hear from the main melody, but twisted it enough so it's different. Then when the chorus comes in, you hear the melody full force. I also kept the general chord progression used from the original for the verses to connect it more. I'm happy with the guitar work I put into this one. :)

For the ending vocals (and sprinkled throughout), I had several friends on the Outlier Studios team just record a bunch of passes. I think total there was around 30 or so vocal stems which I mixed in. It really amped it up to 11! Hope you enjoy this one!"

Nestor's signature sound works so well with Undertale that I could have sworn this was his second submission from the game, but I was wrong :) Tons of atmosphere, but also a huge emphasis on melody, as the song structure the artist alludes to is apparent throughout. Everything blends well, and the makeshift-choir of soothing ah-based vocalizing strikes the right chord, texturally. Judges were unanimous; Emunator writes:

"Truly a lovely arrangement! With such a short, repetitive source tune, I appreciate the lengths Nestor took to both keep things from being repetitive and also never let it go too long without a recognizable callback to His Theme. I've come to expect nothing less from Nestor at this point, but it's refreshing to see him branch out into adjacent genres like indie rock that still allow him to indulge in his signature lo-fi aesthetic. As a fan of both Arcade Fire and Clairo, the inspiration is evident (I'm picking up strong Suburbs vibes specifically from the guitar tone, and the lo-fi beats fall more on the Clairo's side) but at the end of the day, this sounds unmistakably like a Tune In With Chewie remix! You've got a style all your own."

Chimpazilla adds:

"What a fresh-sounding style, totally unique. The arrangement is relaxing while being full of detail. The production is on point. There is plenty of variation even while keeping the orchestration mostly the same. I love the effects sprinkled throughout the mix, and the vocals. Easy YES from me too."

Excellent, smooth, enjoyable stuff, which - while playing it a *little* more traditional than prior mixes - still drips with plenty of texture & character. Nestor's unique style pairs perfectly with Undertale & Toby Fox's melodies; great work!