![\"A](\"https:\/\/platform.theverge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/NMSJ_EXCL-Render-2_c6270218-dc24-4cc9-bc81-3d68edaa1c14-1-copy.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nImage: Laced Records<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just Hello Games who has enjoyed the fruits of No Man\u2019s Sky\u2019s success. Of 65daysofstatic\u2019s top-played songs on Spotify, nine of them were written for the game. No Man\u2019s Sky songs have become integral parts of 65daysofstatic live sets, these compositions living on outside of the game in a way soundtracks rarely do. \u201cTo us, it has always been a 65daysofstatic record as much as the No Man\u2019s Sky score,\u201d says Wolinski. \u201cWe\u2019ve been lucky enough to be associated with a few big things in our career, but to be tied to something that has had such a massive cultural impact, it\u2019s just a lovely feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now with Journeys out in the wild, could 65daysofstatic and Weir perform the music live together? \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t rule out potentially doing something on the 10th anniversary in some shape or form,\u201d teases Weir.<\/p>\n
Much like the vast transformation No Man\u2019s Sky has undergone since launch, the world\u2019s relationship with technology has completely changed since 2016. When Wolinski first learned about the possibilities of using procedural generation to rearrange music, he tells me it became something of an obsession, inspiring live-coded, improvised audio \/ visual tours for the band, 2019\u2019s algorithmic album Decomposition Theory, and even a PhD. \u201cNo Man\u2019s Sky definitely sent us off in this other direction,\u201d smiles Wolinski. \u201cAnd I\u2019m really happy that it did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho cares if computers can make music? That\u2019s not what music is.\u201c<\/p>\n
Yet in 2025, Wolinski believes generative tech\u2019s name has been sullied by prompt-based dirge. \u201cWe came back to this project being very against the associations between generative systems and AI slop,\u201d says Wolinski. \u201c\u200b\u200bI think there\u2019s a huge difference between that and No Man\u2019s Sky\u2019s generative systems \u2026 Now it\u2019s all about making more content to churn through, just to keep people\u2019s attention for a few seconds. The whole thing is miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith No Man\u2019s Sky, it\u2019s all our music, everything is handcrafted. The computer does not create anything \u2014 what it does do is rearrange it,\u201d explains Weir. Despite the clear difference between an algorithm piecing together human-made music and one simply prompting it into existence, with hardworking human artists currently fending off impersonation from AI impostors,<\/a> the Pauls felt compelled to push back against computer-led composition.<\/p>\n Journeys, then, is more than just an album; it\u2019s humans taking a stand against the rise of the musical machines. \u201cWho cares if computers can make music? That\u2019s not what music is,\u201d says Wolinski. \u201cThe moving of the speakers to generate sound waves is such a tiny part of what gives music meaning. It\u2019s all about the social relations around [it], the human dialogue between one person and another, even if they never meet. This is what art is \u2014 and it\u2019s why generative AI completely misses the point.\u201d<\/p>\n Journeys is out now on streaming platforms and vinyl<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Tom ReganCloseTom Regan<\/p>\n Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All by Tom Regan<\/a><\/p>\n EntertainmentCloseEntertainment<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Entertainment<\/a><\/p>\n GamingCloseGaming<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Gaming<\/a><\/p>\n InterviewCloseInterview<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Interview<\/a><\/p>\n MusicCloseMusic<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n