Silent Hill 2, the 2001 survival horror game by Team Silent, is a game about descent. Physically, mentally, spiritually. You descend into the mind of main character James Sunderland as he descends into Silent Hill. You descend impossibly long staircases, fall into trap doors and empty graves, go down down down so far that by the time you ascend again even the cold fog and grey skies of the town feel comforting by comparison. But even if you ascend physically, you can only descend emotionally.
The Floating World by Prodigal is an album about descent. You descend physically, as already drop tuned chords suddenly plunge downward via octave pedals. You descend mentally, as sawtooth jagged screams and harrowing lyrics (the most chilling of which, from “Pulling Apart,” goes; “I wonder how I’ll die”) drag you down down down that when Prodigal finally relent on “Undue” it’s like boarding an escalator to heaven after exiting an elevator to hell.
In the same way playing a good survival horror game can feel like facing your inner demons, plowing through your own trauma, The Floating World exists to provide you with profound mental catharsis. Even the worst experiences can be alleviated somewhat by putting this EP on a stereo, cranking the speakers to max and just putting your head down on your desk and feeling the vibrations through your skull (ask me how I know). It is your flashlight in the dark, the shells to your shotgun.
Towards the end of Silent Hill 2, James arrives at a staircase filled with flames occupied by Angela, a woman left scarred by an abusive father. When James remarks at how hot it is, Angela responds, “You see it too? For me, it’s always like this.” These are the people Prodigal makes music for. Those left so shredded inside by anger, hate, rage, sadness that they need to hear someone take that pain and make beautiful music out of it, if only to know there is something wonderful that can be painted with such vile colors. With The Floating World, Prodigal have done just that.
