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Titled Ode to Final Fantasy, the 11-track LP features Broderick’s solo instrumental and vocal interpretations of themes composed by Nobuo Uematsu, Noriko Matsueda and Masashi Hamauzu. The record’s origins trace back to Broderick’s childhood, where his fascination with Final Fantasy VII became a direct catalyst for his music education. His mother promised him a PlayStation console if he practised violin for 100 consecutive days.
The project’s name, The White Mages, pays homage to Uematsu’s own former band, The Black Mages, while flipping the in-game concept. In the Final Fantasy universe, White Mages are healers and Broderick sees the musical project as potentially open to other performers in future, “casting Cure upon the world by playing the music of Final Fantasy.”
During the pandemic, Broderick found himself returning to the games and their soundtracks, initially as a “guilty pleasure.” This eventually developed into a serious artistic endeavour, which he began recording in 2025. “I learned to play music because of my drive to play video games,” Broderick said.
Erased Tapes and Broderick have pledged to donate half of all proceeds from the album to the medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières. “To take this world of fantasy and escapism and bring it into our broken, sad and beautiful world with some tangible consequence,” Broderick explains. “I felt it was a very good idea, taking what was already a very meaningful project to me and imbuing it with even more meaning and purpose.”
Ode to Final Fantasy tracklisting
“Eternity, Memory of Lightwaves (Final Fantasy X-2)”
“Freya's Theme (Final Fantasy IX)”
“The Promise (Final Fantasy XIII)”
“Under the Rotting Pizza (Final Fantasy VII)”
“Hymn of the Fayth (Final Fantasy X)”
“Chocobo Theme (Final Fantasy)”
“Aerith's Theme (Final Fantasy VII)”
“Listen to the Cries of the Planet (Final Fantasy VII)”
“Atonement (Final Fantasy XIII)”
“Melodies of Life (Final Fantasy IX)”
“The Prelude (Final Fantasy)”
English (US) · 