I'm so stoked to put this out for everyone to listen to!! I started work on this soundtrack all the way back in January when the film was just a script. I spent lots of time reading through, gathering ideas and finding melodies to start developing. 2023 has been quite a busy one already, so I really had to pick my moments to work on this, but with
I'm so stoked to put this out for everyone to listen to!! I started work on this soundtrack all the way back in January when the film was just a script. I spent lots of time reading through, gathering ideas and finding melodies to start developing. 2023 has been quite a busy one already, so I really had to pick my moments to work on this, but with a final 2 week push at the start of August I completed the soundtrack!
I mostly wrote this soundtrack on piano, something I haven't written on since I was about 14. It was really cool to revisit this method, it made everything feel fresh and new. I very quickly landed on the chords C#m Am, a progression that felt so gorgeously melancholy I just fell in love with it. I ended up writing most of the scenes with this as a starting point, it felt like a nice way to tie everything in. Some scenes were softer, so my playing mimicked that and I placed some prettier notes here and there to accent that. Other scenes were harsher, so much less gentle and more confrontational. So, I tried to play with that aggression in mind, adding notes that clashed a little more and brought out the tension in the music itself, as well as the characters. Some scenes were left with just piano to bring out the rawness of the story, but some moments got built up with layers of synths and strings to bring more texture and fullness to the plot. Overall, I'm really happy with how this has turned out! Huge challenge to write music to someone else's story, and with a completely DIY approach to recording.
Special thanks to Dan for bringing me on board, and to Flexagon (Stretchy) for the advice offered during that last 2 week push.
Tracklist: 1. Christmas Clean Up 2. Friend 3. Emily's Song (demo) 4. Emily's Grave 5. The Wall 6. Emily's Song
The film is available to watch on Prime Video, so go do that!! Support local artists.
TW: Suicide, Alcoholism
The plot: "After his beloved girlfriend Emily commits suicide, Tom spirals into a deep depression. Blaming himself for her death he isolates himself, letting himself and the their home go. Until one day, after much persuasion, his friend Toby comes to visit. He convinces Tom to get his act together and pay Emily's grave a visit. Tom agrees but the timing couldn't be worse as both of Emily's parents are also there. A fight breaks out between Tom and Emily's father which ends in both men beaten. Drowning his sorrows, Tom takes to a nightclub. He meets a beautiful girl there, and, for a moment, lets go of his pain and grief until Emily takes over his mind yet again..."
Film directed by Dave Hyett, written by Daniel Hollingworth Soundtrack by Kiya Ashton
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Christmas Clean Up 0:430:00/0:43
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Friend 1:560:00/1:56
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Emily's Song (demo) 3:300:00/3:30
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Emily's Grave 2:180:00/2:18
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The Wall 1:220:00/1:22
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Emily's Song 3:510:00/3:51