New Zelda Lo-Fi Fan Album “Hyrule Café 2” Takes Us Back to the Coffee Shop
Posted on September 18 2024 by Kristen G. Rosario
About a year ago, musician Evelyn Rivera (AKA Coffee Date) released a massive 21-song record that featured lo-fi remixes of memorable songs from the Zelda series. Known as Hyrule Café, the album was over a decade in the making and ultimately a triumphant success for Rivera. That’s why I’m glad to talk about Coffee Date once more, as she has returned to the meditative vibes we appreciated from her previous Zelda album.
Record label GameChops just recently distributed Rivera’s newest Zelda lo-fi remix album, simply titled Hyrule Café 2. Coffee Date’s newest record remixes 17 songs from multiple games in the franchise, such as Majora’s Mask, The Wind Waker, Breath of the Wild, Spirit Tracks, and more. Dj Cutman returns as well, but only as a collaborator on Rivera’s remix of “Hyrule Temple,” as the album’s finishing touches were done by music producer Ohad Nissim this time around.
GameChops put out the following press release in regards to the release of Hyrule Café 2:
Coffee Date is the project of Evelyn Rivera, a composer and multi-instrumentalist known for her cozy lofi reimaginings of videogame music. Her unique sound evokes emotion through piano, violin and cello, guitar and ukulele, and her own vocals, all paired with thoughtful chillhop beats. Following her album Hyrule Café, a 22-track tribute to The Legend of Zelda, Coffee Date returns to the land of Hyrule with 17 new chilled-out arrangements.
From the series’ beginnings on the Nintendo Entertainment System up through Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch, Hyrule Café 2 includes music from every chapter of Zelda history. The tracklist kicks off with new twists on iconic melodies, such as a Latin jazz-inspired take on “Song of Storms” from Ocarina of Time, and a cello-infused hip hop spin on “Dark World” from A Link to the Past. Hyrule Café 2 also includes NES classics “Underworld” and “Hyrule Temple” (featuring Dj Cutman), as well as deeper cuts like “Bamboo Island,” “Spirit Tracks,” and the theme from Tears of the Kingdom’s emotional climax.
Featured composers include Hajime Wakai, Koji Kondo, Kozue Ishikawa, Yasuaki Iwata, Kenta Nagata, Toru Minegishi, Takeshi Hama, Akito Nakatsuka, and Manaka Kataoka. Hyrule Café 2 is out now on all online stores and streaming platforms! Support Coffee Date and GameChops by streaming, saving, and adding the tracks to your playlists.
Rivera herself even posted her thoughts about the album’s release on X:
i released another chill zelda album! 💕
it’s honestly such a dream come true to do this and reach people through it — i always put my heart into my interpretations, and i truly do my best to pay homage to the music, stories, and experiences that have inspired me so much 🥲 https://t.co/c79KKXYfaC
— Evelyn Rivera 🌙 (@MsEvelynRivera) September 6, 2024
The full album can either be listened to on the GameChops YouTube channel, or streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, and YouTube Music. Hyrule Café 2 can also be purchased on platforms such as Amazon Music and Beatport. Also, if you want to continue following Coffee Date on her music producing journey, you can find her on Facebook, X, Instagram, Soundcloud, and Spotify.
What do you think of Hyrule Café 2? Will you be checking out any more of Coffee Date’s work? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: GameChops
Kristen G. Rosario is an Editor who joined Zelda Dungeon back in September of 2015. His current goal is to become a full-time video game journalist, hoping to eventually gain a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. While he pursues that dream, he not only takes care of his adorable dachshund Angel, but also helps run a YouTube channel with his brother. The Zelda series is a quest he hasn’t fully completed yet, but hopes to get there one day.
