Alex Rehberg's Rust score gets its first vinyl pressing

The soundtrack to the survival game Rust is getting its first vinyl release, a 3LP set from Laced Records confirmed on August 6. Composer Alex Rehberg's score, originally released digitally in 2022, has been specially remastered for the pressing, with 29 tracks and sleeve artwork made in collaboration with Facepunch Studios designer Lewis Ainslie.

Rust, originally released in 2018 by Facepunch Studios, is a constantly evolving survival game in which players manage hunger, thirst and health while avoiding wildlife, other inhabitants and rival players. Rehberg's score combines ambient soundscapes with jagged synth textures and heavy drums, aiming to capture darkness, brutality, danger and mystery alongside moments of hope and peace.

Fans can choose standard black vinyl or a Laced Record Exclusive Edition with grey and black splatter-effect discs inspired by the game's industrial setting; pre-orders are live now.

The release lands the same week that The Cure, Radiohead and other acts were confirmed for the Stage Tour soundtrack, a separate video game music story, underlining how much of this month's soundtrack news is running through game releases rather than films.

Rehberg described the emotional range behind the score in his own words: "Rust is generally dark, gritty and brutal, which is reflected in the big drums, distorted synthesisers and more amped-up pieces of music," he said. "But Rust also has moments of precarious peace and hope." He said the softer, more ambient pieces came from imagining a player "getting back to your base with a full inventory or tending to your plants behind the safety of your walls."