Stan Bush wrote an amazing new ‘80s anthem for Shadow Warrior 2

The title song for the upcoming action game Shadow Warrior 2 sounds like it’s 30 years old, and with good reason: it was written and performed by the same team behind “The Touch,” the iconic anthem from the original 1986 Transformers animated film. It may be coming out a few decades later, but the new song, called “Warrior,” has the exact same upbeat, boost-your-confidence vibe. “I’ve always been one of those people who believes that we make our own reality,” says singer and co-writer Stan Bush. “And if you believe in yourself and go for it, as cheesy as that sounds, it really does work.”

“Warrior” is one of four Bush songs that will be featured on the Shadow Warrior 2 soundtrack. It will sit alongside classics “The Touch” and “Never Surrender,” as well as a remix of “The Touch” featuring the game’s foul-mouthed protagonist Lo Wang. (The song was featured in the original 2013 Shadow Warrior as well.) And while “Warrior” wasn’t originally written with Shadow Warrior 2 in mind, it’s a perfect fit, with an anthemic sound that should really get you pumped up for some first-person shooter action. “It was just kind of a coincidence how it all worked out,” says Bush. “It was serendipitous that it fit so perfectly.” The soundtrack will be available as a deluxe $60 vinyl release, complete with illustrations from Polish artist Michal Sledzinski.

For Bush, “Warrior” represents a sound that has followed him throughout his career. While he’s written plenty of music of varying genres — he recently released his 13th studio album — he can’t seem to get away from catchy, feel-good rock songs. “Ever since ‘The Touch,’ I’ve stayed in that similar kind of style,” he says. “There’s always been, on every album, at least one or two songs that have that uplifting, go for it, winning vibe… You have to get out there and fight every day.”

Shadow Warrior 2 and its soundtrack will both be launching on October 13th, and the game looks to continue in the vein of the original with ridiculously over-the-top action and gore. It’ll feature a cooperative four-player mode, procedurally generated levels that are different each time you play, and combat that requires you to literally sever your enemies’ limbs. The soundtrack, meanwhile, will take you back to a different time. “I was in the ‘80s, and I never really left the ‘80s,” says Bush. “It sticks with you.”