Justice have been confirmed as the composers of the original score for Grand Theft Auto VI. Today’s launch trailer arrives with “Flower in a Hurricane,” a standalone Justice single featuring Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The song also belongs to Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, giving music fans a route into the project before the game’s November 19 release.

There are several music announcements inside that news, and they do different jobs. A score credit, a guest-filled single and a soundtrack album should not be treated as interchangeable. Here are the useful distinctions for listeners approaching the release through Justice rather than through the game.

What are Justice making for the game?

The confirmed commission is the original score. That is music composed for the game itself, rather than merely a song selected to advertise it. “Flower in a Hurricane” also appears in the launch trailer, but the duo’s role extends beyond supplying that trailer track. How the score works across the game will be a separate thing to discover when it is available.

The collaborators named on the single should be read at that scale, too. Their involvement in this song does not establish that they co-composed the full score. It is a substantial meeting of artists on its own terms, without needing to enlarge the credit into something else.

Is the soundtrack album the complete Justice score?

The official album shop describes a collection of thirty-four original tracks reflecting Vice City and Leonida. Today’s announcement separately promises further information about an official score album. That wording is the reason to keep the two releases apart: the thirty-four-track collection is not being presented here as the complete Justice score.

For anyone considering a physical copy, CD and vinyl preorders are already available for The Album. Check the product title against the music you want. Someone buying chiefly to hear Justice’s instrumental work has a different interest from a listener seeking the multi-artist soundtrack, even if both are drawn in by the same single.

Can the collaboration stand outside GTA VI?

Yes: “Flower in a Hurricane” is being released as a standalone single as well as appearing on the soundtrack. A listener does not need to wait for the game to hear it. There are thirty-five days between today’s announcement and the November 19 launch, leaving room for the song to find an audience in its own right.

As with the Fontaines D.C. and Rosalía collaboration we covered yesterday, a prominent guest credit is an invitation into a larger project, rather than a description of everything it contains. Here that larger project has several musical forms. Start with the single if the combination of artists interests you; follow the score announcement if it is Justice’s work across the game that you want to hear next.