Caroline Polachek shares new single ‘On The Beach’, title track from upcoming Death Stranding 2: On The Beach OST
PRAISE FOR Caroline Polachek
“Desire, I Want to Turn Into You is an album to get comfortably lost in, knowing there will always be some familiar motif that pops up to reorient you. It’s Caroline’s island, and we’re just walking circles around its wild and wonderful perimeter.”
“Given she’s spent over a decade creating some of the cleverest and most charming experimental pop out there, it was cheering to see Caroline Polachek’s latest album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, receive the overwhelmingly rapturous response it deserved earlier this year.”
“Nothing here shines brighter (or satisfies more) than Polachek’s own exquisite voice.”
“Her curious spirit, as well as her undeniable talent as a vocalist and arranger, make Desire, I Want To Turn Into You a kinetic example of what happens when pop sets out to transcend its own limits”
“The culmination of her 18 years in music is an unrivaled ability to reach the genre’s most surprising corners”
“Polachek reaches a new peak by being able to play with the concept of transformation and versatility on this album.”
“From the moment Caroline Polachek comes swinging into “Welcome To My Island” — fiercely, rapturously wailing in a way that connects the dots between Björk and Mariah at jagged angles — Desire, I Want To Turn Into You never ceases to delight.”
“The real star of the show: Polachek’s exceptional, acrobatic voice, a truly special instrument that she has a complete mastery of”
“Unidentifiable. Pioneer. Both words apply to Polachek.”
“If there’s someone who we trust to unearth new and exciting insights about the curvatures of desire, it’s Polachek”
“Myth-making”
“Ever-evolving”
“A landmark moment for contemporary art-po”
‘On The Beach‘ is out now, buy/stream it HERE.
Caroline Polachek is bringing her avant-pop sensibility to one of gaming’s most artistically ambitious franchises with today’s release of ‘On The Beach’, the title track from Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, the highly anticipated sequel to Hideo Kojima’s genre-defying 2019 video game. LISTEN HERE + WATCH HERE.
This release marks Polachek’s first contribution to a video game soundtrack and represents a unique collaboration between one of pop’s most experimental voices and one of gaming’s most daring auteurs. Kojima is best known for blurring the lines between film, music, gameplay, and philosophical storytelling, into an enthralling video game playing experience. Polachek was personally invited by Kojima to collaborate on the Death Stranding 2 soundtrack after he discovered her music and met her in Paris, leading to a rare but creatively vital artist-creator partnership.
Co-produced and co-written by Polachek and frequent collaborator Danny L Harle, ‘On The Beach’ is a welcome sonic return for Polachek, layering expansive vocals over distorted metallic synths and a steady battle drum, crescendoing into a moment of exalted bliss that quickly dissipates. The track deepens the emotional pull of the game’s narrative, immersively illustrating how music in Kojima’s world can shape depth, reflection, and connection. She has also released a stunning string arrangement of the song as a b-side entitled ‘On The Beach (Timefall Mix)’.
In addition, Polachek has released an ingenious video that gives the kinematic single art new depth by incorporating the dystopian Death Stranding 2 gameplay footage and monochromatic palette with prismatic glyphs and English, Japanese, Chinese (Traditional & Simplified), Portuguese, and French translations.
Developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Death Stranding 2 is poised to be a major global cultural event upon its release this year. Music is core to the Death Stranding experience and previous collaborations with CHVRCHES, Bring Me the Horizon and Low Roar have become iconic fan touchstones. Polachek joins a global lineup including Woodkid, Magnolian, and Hania Rani, continuing the franchise’s tradition of bold, boundary-pushing soundtracks. With ‘On The Beach’, she is placed within the Death Stranding 2 universe, where music is essential in driving narrative and emotional resonance.
Polachek shares, “‘On The Beach’ was actually one of the first songs I ever made with Danny L Harle, but it was too alien and industrial- almost too evil – to work sense on Pang, so I set it aside til the right thing came along. When Kojima approached me about DS2, I showed him the sketch of it and he agreed that it was a perfect fit, and so eight years after starting this song, it got reopened, extended, and finished for the perfect setting.”
‘On The Beach’ marks Polachek’s first solo release of 2025 and the first since her seminal 2023 album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You took the world by storm. Aside from securing a GRAMMY nomination for Best Engineered Album – Non-Classical and a Brit Award nomination for Solo International Artist, her sophomore album brought Polachek to be featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Series, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, all while achieving over 175 million streams worldwide and features on Vogue, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Billboard, The Fader, Consequence, i-D, Stereogum, The New York Times, Elle, Double J, Harper’s Bazaar, RUSSH Magazine and Variety’s Best of 2023 lists; placing #1 on year-end lists by publications such as Pitchfork, DIY, Exclaim, and DORK and more.
Keep in touch