Royalty Free Dark / Somber Music

Cinematically driven background track mixing modern trap elements with gritty distorted guitars and synth textures. Very stylised, with an industrial techno feel, it's designed for its minimalist, noir vibes rather than a melodic hum-along. Dark and gripping with an energetic beat, pounding guitar and shimmering synth, it captures many moods from despair and dystopia to aggression and anxiety.

A short, simple instrumental between piano and electric guitar. Emotionally sensitive and fragile, broken piano chords form the basis for the clean, reverbed guitar to lay its delicate melody over, making use of effects to create a smooth, atmospheric soundscape of gentle tenderness. Lilting, sensual and melancholic thoughout.

A short track telling of a sudden change of sorrow with piano, strings and percussion

Hard hitting orchestral hybrid teaser. Short, and very direct, it launches distorted synth missiles into our ears while pounding us with industrial cyber drums. Sweetening the pain with some fast violin ostinato won't save us, just increase the intensity until our insides disintegrate from the final sub bass drop. All very dramatic, you'll agree.

This ambient hip hop track describes a stressed atmosphere in narrative and authentic way.

If you like your epic orchestral tracks with a heavy dose of sound design, this is the one. With all the usual cinematic tricks of string ostinato, huge brass lines and strong rhythmic accentuation, this adds an evident electro synth element right at the front. Sweepers, drops and pulses abound, it maintains its hybrid style for a relentless adrenalin fuelled attack of drama, tension and grandiose intrigue.

An acoustic lullaby-ish instrumental featuring an acoustic guitar melody, a glockenspiel lead and a dark bass synth buildup

A soft, mid paced orchestral track with a sombre side. A gentle, pulsating string and harp intro featuring solo viola, cello and oboe flourishes into life with string shorts, harp glissandi and orchestral runs before dying down again for the ending. Good use of the vibraphone creates a dreamlike quality to help set an intense, melancholic and nostalgic mood, tinged with a sense of reflection and regret.    

Epic fantasy orchestral track. Brass fanfares, repeated by the strings and enhanced by the choir and percussion, form the main theme of this dramatic action piece. Respite comes in the middle section with a calm, simple piano sequence backed by soft string chords that soon builds to the original fanfare and return of the familiar intensity of the first half. Tension, danger and doom aplenty in a confrontational and menacing work.

Relentlessly marching forward like a futuristic army of committed androids, this hybrid track creates that militant backdrop of sinister suspense, juxtaposed with a subtle angelic command hovering above. More of an imposing action vibe than a melodic theme, it has a confrontational and impending feel about it in a traditionally cinematic style, adding synth elements to blend with an industrial, technological future.

Edgy orchestral track. Starting with a fast moving string theme and percussion, deep chimes ring in the ominous dread approaching. Building in intensity, and dropping out, become able suspense techniques throughout, as does contrasting the doom with light playful passages on strings, woodwinds or xylophone. Slurred legato violins apply textured expression and rich brass adds an aggressive feel to create a dramatic, mysterious and epic composition.

Inquisitive indie pop song. Maybe it's the intimate vocals sung from the head, heart and throat, maybe it's the whistled chorus, maybe it's the curious theremin leads or retro tremolo guitar tones - who knows, but it's a mysterious and bold mix to create a slightly psychadelic flavour in a downbeat, sleepy tune about questioning mental control, which despite this, manages to remain light and mellow in vibe.

Looking for something different, with more than a touch of dark pop? Here we go - brooding atmosphere with sultry male vocals and a synth heavy backdrop. Deliberately disjointed with its constant tone changes but masterfully linked together with its memorable leads, rhythmic muted guitar and resonant synth frequencies, it's sexually super-charged and mystically erotic with a tense underlying grit. Hot. And sweaty.

A melodic rock song mixing heavily distorted guitar with indie pop vocals. Lots of fuzz and feedback give an over the top, chaotic feel to the track while the pounding drums keep it grounded. Add in softer arpeggiated guitar and tuneful vocals to the verses, and you have a contrasting sense of soft playfulness and out of control energy.

Stylish take on a trap beat. Featuring a classic hip hop/trap beat, the instrumentation gives a more cinematic feel, with ambient, reverbed piano themes and orchestral string backing. It is the synth lead however that is the most prominent, as it interplays with the deep bass, chord stabs and vocal samples to create a mysterious sounding track, fresh and intriguing with a sense of curiosity.

Atmospheric and rhythmic pop rock. Using a melodic piano theme as the central hook, and continuously enhancing it with percussion, bass, electric guitars and synth pads, the piece builds in intensity and energy to create a dramatic mid-tempo background track that captures a spirit of determination, motivation and suspense, contrasting a slightly dark, cinematic side with a more heroic one.

Ambient Western track, in no hurry to get anywhere in particular. Soaking up the desert heat at walking pace, it's a beautifully constructed mix of shimmering strummed electric guitar chords, tremolo and slide leads, whistles and harmonica that oozes Americana. Percussive hand drums add some horse flavours to the theme, a theme that at times is sad and nostalgic, at others more comfortable in its solitude, but portrays a lot more than just cowboys and saddle sores.

Epic and powerful orchestral track with a melodic violin theme.

An absolute curiosity of a track. The minimalist beat is cool, diverse and easily relatable. And then there's the rest. Super chilled upright double bass plucks out the laziest of melodies, soon joined by a simple, melancholic acoustic guitar line and the vocal warblings of the world's only Arabic gospel singer. Very relaxed, totally innovative and definitely standout, I can't help but get Mexican funeral vibes with a neo jazz twist. But that's doesn't tell even half the story ....

Hybrid orchestral track with a dark and melancholic feeling. The texture evolves, becoming more dense at the end.