Stardew Valley developer makes animated music video for Alvvays

Alvvays are an indie band that hails from Toronto. Their latest music video was created by ConcernedApe also known as Eric Barone. Barone developed classic farm sims. Stardew Valley Haunted ChocolatierAn RPG is currently being developed.

A series of luck events led to the unexpected collaboration. Molly Rankin was the vocalist for Alvvays and a guitarist. She sent an email to the developer asking if he’d be willing to contribute art. Barone accepted, and started coming up with ideas while listening to Alvvays’ Blue Rev album. “I felt like, ‘I can’t Simply draw an image, I gotta go all the way,” Barone says in a call with Polygon. “It’s just the kind of person I am. It’s hard for me to restrain myself to a very simple thing.”

While Barone is known for pixel art, like the little avatars and portraits that represent the farmer’s friends in Stardew ValleyThe music video was more experimental for him. They travel through surreal, textured places inspired by side-scrollers.

“I had to learn new stuff too, because there’s a 3D section, and I’ve never done 3D stuff before,” says Barone. “I had to learn completely new concepts for that, but that was fun. And I might be able to use that in the future — I always thought I’d never make a 3D game, but after this I feel like I could and it would actually be kind of fun and interesting.”

Alvvays plays Stardew ValleyI often bring multiple Switches along on my tours. “I think there’s like an element of humanity and empathy in Stardew,” Rankin spoke with Polygon during a phone call. “It’s meditative and just sort of this universe you can get lost in for a long period of time where no one really dies and everything is fairly light.”

The band was surprised at Barone’s initiative in creating an entire music video, but it synced well with the themes of the album. “It’d be safe to say we don’t want to make music that feels like being on the internet,” says Alec O’Hanley, guitarist, in the same call. “We actively do try to create work that reflects an earlier indeterminant era. Much of our favorite works accomplish that, whether it’s an album or a painting or a video game. We try not to delve too deep into nostalgia, but we also don’t consider that a dirty word. By any stretch.”