The Substance is the film score soundtrack to the 2024 film of the same name directed by Coralie Fargeat and stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. The album consisted of 28 tracks from the original score composed by Raffertie which utilized electronic and pop music and was recorded within a span of two months during March–May 2024. The album was released through the independent label Waxwork Records digitally on September 13, 2024, followed by a vinyl edition that released on September 27. The score was positively received by critics.
| The Substance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | September 13, 2024 | |||
| Recorded | March–May 2024 | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 41:20 | |||
| Label | Waxwork Records | |||
| Producer | Raffertie | |||
| Raffertie chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editOriginal score
editBritish composer and record producer Raffertie[note 1] was assigned to compose the musical score for The Substance.[1] Raffertie was involved in the project during January–February 2024,[note 2] much late into the film's post-production.[2] Since the film was scheduled for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival premiere in May, Raffertie was tasked to complete the score within two months.[2][3] Fargeat hired Raffertie after he composed five to six tracks on the reel she sent as a sample.[2] Interested in an electronic score, Fargeat cited the "electronic kind of violence and roughness" in his music, as well as his ability to create sensitive, emotional pieces.[3] Her early conversations with Raffertie included focusing on the duality of Eliasbeth and Sue, where the latter provided an organic, nostalgic feel for Elisabeth's music and a synthetic and contemporary quality for Sue's music.[2][4] She referenced Bernard Herrmann's works, notably Citizen Kane (1971) as the genesis for Elisabeth's music.[4]
The titular piece "The Substance" had a club, techno-leaning feel which needed the "sensual, slightly dark" underlying theme for Sue's and the genre worked well for the character.[2] When he witnessed the rough edit of the film, he realized that silence was considered a key aspect of the score, identifying moments where the music underlines the action.[4] He was pleased about, how the sound design and music fits well together, and that he liked the interplay between these two things.[2]
For the activation scene, Raffertie and Fargeat discussed on the specific music he needed to add, which combines silence and noise that begins with a slower and noisy feel, as Elisabeth injects herself with the drug and as she stars at herself in the mirror again and falls to the floor, ending with silence. The sequence where Sue introduces herself first time at an audition to replace Elisabeth on the television show, had impressed Raffertie where he began with a bass loop, and kick drum, followed by a noisy snare drum that blended well in that sequence.[4]
Due to time constraints and the distance between London and France, Raffertie and Fargeat worked remotely over Zoom, first meeting in person at the premiere.[3]
Diegetic music
editFor the scene where Monstro Elisasue puts on her earrings, the film uses "The Nightmare And Dawn" from the Vertigo soundtrack.[5] This was initially used as a temp track prior to Raffertie's involvement. Fargeat wanted something that was "princess related" with a "kind of sweetness";[6] she initially tried various classical pieces and music from the Disney animated feature Cinderella but didn't like the results.[7] She felt that "The Nightmare And Dawn" worked on a meta level, referencing its connotations with the star system.[8] After Raffertie joined the film, he tried to compose original music for the scene but ultimately agreed that the temp track was superior.[9]
Additional songs featured in the film include "Pump It Up!" by DJ Endor (a remix of the Belgian musician Danzel's song), "At Last" (sweetened version) performed by Etta James, "Ugly and Vengeful" by Anna von Hausswolff, and Richard Strauss' tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra,[10] notably featured in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).[5][10] The film also credits "Fade Away" by Pyrit, "Lost Soul" by Holy Fuck & Lucia Tacchetti, "Aerotronic" by Romanger, and "Wall Street", "The Punishment Song", "Manouba", and "Ending Blast", by Youssef Chebbi & Valentin Féron.[note 3]
Release
editThe soundtrack to The Substance was marketed by the American independent record label Waxwork Records;[11] it was released through digital download on September 13, 2024.[12] Back Lot Music, the in-house record label of Universal Pictures sold the licensing rights to Waxwork,[note 4] though it was credited for the digital distribution.[11] Waxwork further published the album in an "Activator Green" colored 180-gram vinyl LP released on September 27.[1][13] The packaging of the vinyl edition included a printed inner sleeve and heavyweight jacket wrapped in a custom printed Kraft paper card.[13] The album cover for the digital edition included a plain text of the film's title covered in a black background and white text color, except for the YouTube Music version had an inverted color.[11][12]
Reception
editMonica Castillo of RogerEbert.com wrote that Raffertie's "catchy and propulsive beats make the movie feel like it's speeding past traffic on the 405."[14] Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "The British composer Raffertie's thunderous score adds an appropriately ominous touch, especially during moments of corporeal mutilation."[15] Dana Stevens of Slate mentioned the use of "The Nightmare And Dawn" in the ending which Raffertie's score had referenced.[10] Logan Thompson of The Ithacan described it as a "thrilling bass-boosted pop score".[16]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Elizabeth Sparkle" | 1:59 |
| 2. | "The Substance" | 2:30 |
| 3. | "Change of Heart | I'd Like To" | 1:51 |
| 4. | "Only | Byron" | 1:44 |
| 5. | "Activation" | 4:10 |
| 6. | "You Stabilise Everyday" | 1:26 |
| 7. | "Apartment" | 0:41 |
| 8. | "Home Improvement" | 0:28 |
| 9. | "Nose Bleed" | 1:37 |
| 10. | "Zip" | 0:21 |
| 11. | "Alteration" | 1:21 |
| 12. | "Followed" | 0:19 |
| 13. | "Red Dress" | 1:00 |
| 14. | "Make Up" | 1:03 |
| 15. | "French Cuisine" | 4:13 |
| 16. | "Control Yourself" | 1:20 |
| 17. | "Golem" | 0:45 |
| 18. | "Your Final Kit" | 1:38 |
| 19. | "They Are Going to Love You" | 0:30 |
| 20. | "I Hate Myself" | 3:43 |
| 21. | "Single Use" | 1:41 |
| 22. | "Everything in the Right Place" | 1:03 |
| 23. | "Monstro" | 0:13 |
| 24. | "On Air" | 0:41 |
| 25. | "Shoot the Monster" | 1:37 |
| 26. | "Blood" | 1:11 |
| 27. | "More Blood" | 0:22 |
| 28. | "Pirouette" | 1:53 |
| Total length: | 41:20 | |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | September 13, 2024 | Waxwork Records | [11] | |
| September 27, 2024 | Vinyl LP | [13] |
Accolades
edit| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 20, 2024 | Best Original Score – Horror/Thriller Film | Raffertie | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| Indiana Film Journalists Association | December 16, 2024 | Best Musical Score | Nominated | [19] [20] |
References
editNotes
edit- ^ Stage name for Benjamin Stefanski
- ^ Raffertie stated that he joined the project during January, while Fargeat opined that his involvement was confirmed during February.[2][3]
- ^ As denoted in the film credits.
- ^ The parent company of the film's production house Working Title Films, which Universal acquired in 1999
Citations
edit- ^ a b Dunn, Jack (September 20, 2024). "'The Substance' Score Gets Vinyl Release From Waxwork Records". Variety. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hess, Tobias (December 16, 2024). "Raffertie on Crafting the Sound of "The Substance" Movie". Paper. Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Edith Bowman (September 23, 2024). "Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley & Coralie Fargeat Discuss The Substance (Live)". Soundtracking (Podcast). Apple Podcasts. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Hardman, Lily (December 16, 2024). "'The Substance' composer Raffertie on the power of silence". Far Out. Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ a b Suh, Elissa (September 18, 2024). "'The Movie Is Fundamentally About the Violence of Control': Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat Talks 'The Substance'". Vogue. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2024, 28:13.
- ^ Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2024, 28:51.
- ^ Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2024, 29:54.
- ^ Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2024, 30:39.
- ^ a b c Stevens, Dana (September 18, 2024). "The Substance Lacks Any". Slate. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "The Substance (Original Motion Picture Score)". Waxwork Records. September 13, 2024. Archived from the original on December 30, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024 – via Apple Music.
- ^ a b "The Substance Score Album Details". Film Music Reporter. September 12, 2024. Archived from the original on September 19, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ a b c "The Substance". Waxwork Records. September 27, 2024. Archived from the original on December 30, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ Castillo, Monica (May 19, 2024). "The Substance movie review & film summary (2024)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (May 19, 2024). "'The Substance' Review: An Excellent Demi Moore Helps Sustain Coralie Fargeat's Stylish but Redundant Body Horror". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 25, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ Thompson, Logan (October 1, 2024). "Gruesomely perfect societal commentary executed in 'The Substance'". The Ithacan. Archived from the original on October 1, 2024. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ Willman, Chris (November 6, 2024). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Blitz', With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees". Variety. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Grein, Paul (November 6, 2024). "'Emilia Pérez' Leads 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominations: Full List". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Nick (December 10, 2024). "Nominations Announced for the 2024 Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards". Midwest Film Journal. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Nick (December 16, 2024). "'The Substance' dominates Indiana critic awards". Midwest Film Journal. Archived from the original on December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
Sources
edit- Santa Barbara International Film Festival (November 23, 2024). SBIFF Q&A The Substance with Coralie Fargeat. Archived from the original on December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024 – via YouTube.