HP Lovecraft was a key exponent of the Horror genre, and anything shot today which involves inhuman horrors and writhing creatures owes something to the iconic author. Understandably, his frequently bizarre writing doesn’t exactly lend itself well to adaption, both in a cinematic and musical sense.
With his upcoming film score, Colin Stetson undertakes the challenging task of helping bring to the screen Lovecraft’s 1927 story, ‘The Color out of Space’ a tale of alien life, slow decay and steady fall into madness. It’s a foreign environment to create, but in safe hands. Stetson has an impressive portfolio of work, including the score for western game Red Dead Redemption 2 and supernatural horror film Hereditary. Listening through his music you might hear Drone and Minimalist, as well as Avant Jazz, but he’s hardly committed to one style. What remains true in his work is a solid talent when preforming with Sax and Clarinet, and freedom to experiment that pays off.
With the track ‘Contact’ he presents a taste of what we’ll hear in ‘Color of out Space’, to be released January 24th. Sharply edged synth and violin delivers the fear, with a few guttural samples of noise. A few of the more spacey elements could be at home in classic sci-fi if they weren’t in such fantastically dark company.
Stream the soundtrack on Spotify
Hear more from Colin Stetson
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