Past Lives is the soundtrack album to the 2023 film of the same name, composed by Grizzly Bear drummer Christopher Bear and singer-songwriter Daniel Rossen.[1] It marked their film scoring debut as the band's music have been licensed for films in their past, and never scored film music.[2][3] The soundtrack to the film consisted of 15 instrumental tracks from their score, and an original song "Quiet Eyes" by Sharon Van Etten.[4][5] It was released on June 9, 2023 by A24's music division, a week after the theatrical release of the film.[6][7]
| Past Lives | |
|---|---|
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| Film score by | |
| Released | June 9, 2023 |
| Genre | Film score |
| Length | 39:53 |
| Label | A24 Music |
| Producer | |
Development
editBear and Rossen wanted to capture the passage of time with their music, as the film travels from time periods and cities. They used cellos and keys to guide a scene during a montage where the characters communicate intercontinentally, which would be further guided by strings and synth. Although the band worked remotely in their respective studios, they built a matrix of emotions for plotting out sounds, where the themes would reappear into a color-coded graph which they confirm their relationships that drive the story. There are certain cues that focus on one of the themes but maybe related to the characters' relationship in their childhood and present, and inter-connect at the same time. Rossen complimented that Bear took a strong lead in lot of the score, when compared to his band experience, who complimented it as one of an important role.[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If You Leave Something Behind" | 1:20 |
| 2. | "Crossing" | 1:28 |
| 3. | "You Gain Something Too" | 1:06 |
| 4. | "Do You Remember Me" | 1:17 |
| 5. | "I Remember You" | 2:24 |
| 6. | "Across the Ocean" | 4:32 |
| 7. | "Crossing II" | 2:03 |
| 8. | "In Yun" | 2:18 |
| 9. | "We Live Here" | 1:38 |
| 10. | "Why Are You Going to New York" | 2:54 |
| 11. | "Staring at a Ghost" | 3:18 |
| 12. | "Bedroom" | 2:33 |
| 13. | "An Immigrant and a Tourist" | 2:22 |
| 14. | "Eight Thousand Layers" | 2:58 |
| 15. | "See You" | 4:05 |
| 16. | "Quiet Eyes" (Sharon Van Etten) | 3:37 |
| Total length: | 39:53 | |
Reception
editTim Grierson of Screen International wrote "Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen’s lilting, mediative score is as finely calibrated as the film, piano and guitar offering lovely counterpoint to the onscreen drama."[9] David Fear of Rolling Stone complimented that the score "lays the swooning string section over everything just right".[10] Tatsam Mukherjee in his review for The Wire wrote "Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen’s music never intrudes upon the film."[11] Peter Debruge of Variety wrote "The score practically bubbles with potential during the scenes where Nora and Hae Sung are video chatting — a youthful sound, compared with later, when strings speak to what they might have missed out on."[12] Jacob Oller of Paste said that composers Bear and Rossen "nudge and prod our tear ducts, as if they needed it".[13] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said that the duo's "delicate chiming synth" score complimented Song's "visual command to match her emotional and philosophical insights".[14] Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair wrote "The invaluable score, gracefully lilts around Hae Sung and Nora as they drift toward and away from one another."[15] David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote "Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen’s crystalline score allows the movie to find its proper time signature right from the start."[16]
References
edit- ^ "Grizzly Bear's Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen Announce Soundtrack for Celine Song's New A24 Movie Past Lives". Pitchfork. May 17, 2023. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Grizzly Bear Members Reunite For 'Past Lives' Soundtrack: Hear Two Songs". Stereogum. May 17, 2023. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Raup, Jordan (June 23, 2023). "Listen to the Soundtracks for Asteroid City and Past Lives". The Film Stage. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Sharon Van Etten's "Quiet Eyes": Stream the Past Lives Song". Consequence. June 7, 2023. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Ramkumar, Kat. "Sharon Van Etten and Zachary Dawes Share New Song "Quiet Eyes" for A24's "Past Lives"". Under the Radar Magazine. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Grizzly Bear Members Announce Soundtrack for Past Lives". Consequence. May 17, 2023. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Grizzly Bear announce soundtrack for A24's 'Past Lives'". Far Out. May 18, 2023. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "'Past Lives' Score: Grizzly Bear Members Interview". UPROXX. June 14, 2023. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Grierson, Tim (January 22, 2023). "'Past Lives': Sundance Review". Screen. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Fear, David (June 2, 2023). "'Past Lives' Is Already the Best Movie of the Year". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "Unresolved Romances and the Other Dilemmas of Love in 'Past Lives'". The Wire. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (January 22, 2023). "'Past Lives' Review: Celine Song's Understated Sundance Stunner Will Have Art-House Audiences Swooning". Variety. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "The Brilliantly Bittersweet Past Lives Is Impossibly Romantic". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Rooney, David (January 26, 2023). "'Past Lives' Review: Playwright Celine Song Makes a Stunning Move Into Features With This Decades-Spanning Romantic Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ "'Past Lives' Is a Note-Perfect Directorial Debut". Vanity Fair. January 21, 2023. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Ehrlich, David (January 22, 2023). "'Past Lives' Review: Celine Song's Transcendent Debut Is Destined to Be One of 2023's Best Films". IndieWire. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.