Refused – “The Ballad Of Buck Ravers”
A whole lot of people, including me, are very excited for Cyberpunk 2077, the first big release from Polish video game developer CD Projekt Red since their 2015 open-world RPG masterpiece The Witcher 3. In Cyberpunk 2077, which is now slated for a November release, mercenary protagonist V talks to the “digital ghost” of famed rocker and revolutionary Johnny Silverhand via a chip implanted in his head. Johnny Silverhand is played by none other than Keanu Reeves. And his band, Samurai, is actually Swedish hardcore punk greats Refused.
Refused recorded a whole EP of Samurai’s “greatest hits” for the game. So far, they’ve shared “Chippin’ In” and “Never Fade Away,” both of which were credited to the fictional Samurai. And now we’re getting another new “chrome rock” song from Samurai/Refused, “The Ballad Of Buck Ravers.”
In addition to Refused, Cyberpunk 2077 will feature music from Run The Jewels, A$AP Rocky, Gazelle Twin, Ilan Rubin, Richard Devine, Nina Kraviz, Deadly Hunta, Rat Boy, Tina Guo, and Grimes. Grimes also voices the character Lizzy Wizzy, frontwoman of Lizzy Wizzy And The Metadwarves, who supposedly killed herself onstage during a gig and then finished the show after having emergency surgery to replace her entire body with cybernetics. Yeah, checks out. Listen to “The Ballad Of Buck Ravers” below.
Cyberpunk 2077 is out 11/19. If they had been able to stick to the original April release date, we could have already spent half of quarantine playing it!