Coffee Date & DJ Cutman: STARDEW & CHILL (GREEN) VINYL LP

“Stardew & Chill” is a 15 track lo-fi hip hop tribute to the music of indie videogame Stardew Valley. Lofi beats to farm and make friends to.

Stardew Valley is a charming farming simulator in a 2D pixel-art style. With laid-back gameplay and its enchanting countryside setting, Stardew Valley is known for its relaxing and cozy vibe — and its soundtrack, composed by developer ConcernedApe.

With soundtrack selections spanning from its seasonal themes, in-game events, and places to see, Coffee Date (Evelyn Rivera) and Dj Cutman (Chris Davidson) have crafted the ultimate chill tribute to Stardew Valley. Stardew & Chill features live instrumental and vocal performances by Evelyn, with meticulous production and laid-back beats provided by Chris.

Here’s a personal statement from the producer,

“Hi! Evelyn (Coffee Date) here.

I spent many, many hours with Stardew Valley: playing couch co-op with my friends, exploring the mines, fixing up the Community Center, finding love (Leah is best girl), and of course building my own farm from the ground up.

Stardew Valley is a very special game. Its message is about the importance of not settling for a mindless grind, but instead finding meaning in simply living life, sharing with community, and making the most of every day. As I first played the game in a very difficult season, I found its messages unfolding in the world around me, and I fell in love with life again.

Stardew & Chill was produced over the course of Summer 2021 into the beginning of 2022. I had the honor and joy of working closely with Dj Cutman (Chris) every step of the way — even flying out to Philadelphia to work on it together in person! We were both able to teach each other a lot by sharing in the process, and I can easily say I’ve become a much better producer with all that I’ve learned from Chris. There’s a lot of love and care in every detail; we even sampled voice memos from the project’s creation for a personal touch. This album also uses every live instrument in my arsenal at the time of production: violin, ukulele, African kalimba, melodica, piano, and my own vocals.

With Stardew & Chill’s tracklist, I took care in making sure that the album would fully capture the Stardew Valley experience. We narrowed down the selections to fifteen tracks — the biggest project I’ve done! — and I couldn’t be happier with how we encapsulated the game’s story and world. From the seasons, to the places to be explored, to the characters and community, and to the very moment you load up your save file, it’s all here. It’s my sincerest hope that you can kick back, relax, and enjoy Stardew & Chill."

- Evelyn (Coffee Date)