Feeling Jazzy this Weekend? Check Out Persona 5
By Luke Condon
The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is on the approach once more, beginning this Friday the 28th, and it’s now free of any of the Covid restrictions that surrounded its previous incarnations. If you’re looking to enjoy some quality jazz music, there’s no better time or place; if you’re just in it for a night of alcohol indulgence, that’s fine too. But the enjoyment of jazz shouldn’t be limited to in-person events, as fun as they might be, and maybe Spotify just won’t cut it for you if you’re stuck at home (for whatever reason) whilst these festivities are taking place. If you see yourself in this predicament, or simply want to see how on earth I’m going to tie Jazz Weekend into a gaming related article, then read on.
Persona 5 is the fifth instalment in the Persona series (excluding spin-offs like dancing and fighting games, of which there are many), a role-playing game franchise famous above all else for its unquestionably stylish presentation. Each Persona game is built around a different theme, with the music to match. The genres of hip-hop and J-Pop lay the foundations for Persona 3 and 4's musical backdrops, in keeping with the overall tone of their respective games. In Persona 5, the most prominent motif is that of the spirit of rebellion, which the game argues is dormant in everyone, and can be ignited with one small spark; and what better genre of music to represent this than jazz? An art form that actively encourages going against the status quo, improvisation is a key aspect of jazz performances, where unplanned solos and riffs are commonplace. Persona 5’s key messages are that people should avoid following the crowd, be their own person, and stand up for what’s right, and the game’s designers have made sure these ideas permeate every aspect of the game, including its soundtrack.
Acid Jazz is the most common descriptor of Persona 5’s particular brand of jazz, although it doesn’t fit neatly into a singular definition of any subgenre. Shoji Meguro, the series’ main composer since Persona 3, teamed up with jazz singer Lyn Inaizumi to deliver the game’s fantastic soundtrack, which may well be his last one for a mainline Persona game after his departure from the role in 2021. The game’s vocal tracks are used sporadically; important moments like pivotal boss fights and the game’s introductory cutscene are unsurprisingly granted the honour of being backed with a lyrical soundtrack, but you’ll also hear songs with words in less significant settings, such as the in-game jazz club and on rainy days, where they transform potentially uninteresting moments into enjoyable, unwinding experiences.
Persona 5’s jazz soundtrack is no mere background music; it’s an essential strand of the game’s DNA, so while it’s entirely possible to just listen on Youtube or Spotify, I’d highly encourage anyone with the means to do so to buy a copy of the game and enjoy the ride. Browse any Persona-related website for a while and you’ll likely hear people say that Persona 5 is ‘a fantastic jazz album with a game attached’. This is a bit reductive, as Persona 5’s gameplay mechanics and storyline are brilliant in their own way, but they’re absolutely right about the first part; the game is worth playing even for its music alone.
There’s no beating a live musical performance, that much is true, and if you’re a fan of jazz you’ll be spoiled for choice this coming Jazz Weekend. But by October 31st, Jazz Weekend will have come and gone, and whether you’re a new fan of the genre or old you may well be left wanting for more. If that’s the case for you, give Persona 5 a try; your ears will thank you, and you might just fall in love with the rest of the game while you’re at it. After years of PlayStation exclusivity, Persona 5’s long-awaited PC, Xbox and Nintendo Switch versions have just been released, so it’s the perfect time to jump in.