Carpenter Brut's Roller Mobster appeared on the soundtrack for Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number an ultra-violent top-down shooter that balances rich and nuanced storytelling with quick and gruesome gameplay mechanics, all rendered in an 8-bit pixel art style. The first Hotline Miami game was set in the 1980s and in a similar vein to last weeks track it was heavily influenced by the aesthetics of the synthwave movement, and Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive in particular. While Hotline Miami 2 takes place in 1991 much of the same visual references still appear and as the game begins to jump back and forth between the 80s and 90s these references become more pronounced.
While the original Hotline Miami was lauded for its soundtrack and the sequel attracted even more praise for its music upon release. With that in mind its no small compliment to say that Roller Mobster is a standout track from Hotline Miami 2. It opens on a synth swell reminiscent of some of John Carpenter's work on his Kurt Russel led 80s classics Escape from New York and Big Trouble in Little China. This quickly combusts in a wave of incendiary synth work, airy and ominous vocal pads, beefy arpeggios and barreling electronic drums that propel the track forward at a breakneck pace. This wave of brutality is sometimes interspersed with softer synth leads and some rapid and funky bass lines. Roller Mobster is overpowering and surprising in equal measure much like the Hotline Miami series itself.
