We Are Your Friends (soundtrack)
We Are Your Friends (Music from the Original Motion Picture) is the soundtrack to the 2015 film of the same name. Released by Interscope Records on August 21, 2015, the album featured 12 tracks based on electronic dance music, hip hop, electronic rock and alternative rock.[1] All of the tracks were selected by the music supervisor, Randall Poster, with contributions from DJs producing the album.[2] A deluxe edition of the album featuring six more additional tracks also unveiled on August 28, the same date as the film.[3] Although the film received mixed reviews, the soundtrack topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums selling over 2,000 copies.[4]
| We Are Your Friends (Music from the Original Motion Picture) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Soundtrack album by various artists | |
| Released | August 21, 2015 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 50:24 (standard) 78:07 (deluxe) |
| Label | Interscope |
Background
edit"At first I wanted this movie to be an excuse to put in all my favourite electronic music, but then you have to be true and authentic to who [the characters] are and what they would be listening to."
— Max Joseph[3]
The album featured contributions from rappers and disc jockeys producing the film's music.[5] Director Max Joseph recalled that "the story of the young adult coming into their own and finding their way into the world is always best set to the music of that moment, and I really think that dance music is the soundtrack of right now. We didn’t want to just focus on one genre … We wanted to create a balance of everything."[3]
Some of his favourite tracks include The Rapture's "Sister Saviour" which Efron played at the pool party, but its record label DFA Records, which produced the song, "has a very New York, almost European sound to it which didn’t always mesh with the Southern California early-20-something, festival-going vibe which is where these guys are coming from",[3] which wanted him to be really authentic to the world they come from.[3]
Reception
editR. J. Cabral of The Hollywood Reporter complimented that the soundtrack is "effectively deployed" and featured "melodic hooks set to skipping, skittering beats".[6][7] Katherine Cusumano of Bustle wrote "We Are Your Friends' eponymous soundtrack combines some of the most famous names in EDM with some of the most obscure, and works its way through a whole host of styles that fit into the genre as a whole. It would be a great addition to an already quite comprehensive set of songs."[8]
Gabriela Tully Claymore of Stereogum commented the music saying "We Are Your Friends is edited to mirror its soundtrack, each scene drags on just long enough to cut at the warble that precedes a bass drop, and though party scenes abound, they’re always pointed. Those scenes propel the plot forward and are soundtracked by the most memorable songs."[9] Reviewing for the film's score, he further commented "The score that accompanied the soundtrack was produced by Segal, who is best known for his work on the UK version of Skins, which is fitting. His is the stuff that makes surround-sound systems shake, and We Are Your Friends does just as good of a job as that TV show does at making cinematic hedonism look like a lot of fun until it’s not."[9]
A review from Mixmag, called the soundtrack as "strictly EDM",[10] while Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic called it as "pulse-quickening".[11] Another review for The Sight and Sounds summarised "WAYF Soundtrack contains a lot of current music that was not written specifically for the film. Yes, there are good tracks here, but none of these tracks will more than likely have a lasting affect beyond 2014 and 2015 and almost certainly nothing on the soundtrack will ever be as genre and era defining as anything on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack."[12]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Can Be Somebody" | Deorro featuring Erin McCarley | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Desire" (Gryffin Remix) | Years & Years | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Break Yourself" | Hook n Sling featuring Far East Movement and Pusha T | 3:21 |
| 4. | "BlackOut" | The Americanos featuring Lil Jon, Juicy J and Tyga | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Something About You" (Pete Tong Kingstown Remix) | Hayden James | 3:12 |
| 6. | "Ah Yeah So What" (WAYF Edit) | Will Sparks featuring Wiley and Elen Levon | 3:27 |
| 7. | "You Know You Like It" (Tchami Remix) | AlunaGeorge | 5:04 |
| 8. | "Define" | Dom Dolla and Go Freek | 3:50 |
| 9. | "Cole's Memories" (Original Mix) | Pyramid | 5:51 |
| 10. | "Younger" (Kygo Remix) | Seinabo Sey | 5:51 |
| 11. | "We Are Your Friends" | Justice vs. Simian | 4:18 |
| 12. | "The Drop" (VIP Mix) | Bro Safari | 2:52 |
| Total length: | 50:24 | ||
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Can Be Somebody" | Deorro featuring Erin McCarley | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Desire" (Gryffin Remix) | Years & Years | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Break Yourself" | Hook N Sling featuring Far East Movement and Pusha T | 3:21 |
| 4. | "BlackOut" | The Americanos featuring Lil Jon, Juicy J and Tyga | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Another Sky" (The Magician Remix) | Scenic | 6:40 |
| 6. | "Something About You" (Pete Tong Kingstown Remix) | Hayden James | 3:12 |
| 7. | "RIVA" (Restart the Game) | Klingande featuring Broken Back | 5:15 |
| 8. | "Ah Yeah So What" (WAYF Edit) | Will Sparks featuring Wiley and Elen Levon | 3:27 |
| 9. | "You Know You Like It" (Tchami Remix) | AlunaGeorge | 5:04 |
| 10. | "Define" | Dom Dolla and Go Freek | 3:50 |
| 11. | "Pushing On" | Oliver $ and Jimi Jules | 2:42 |
| 12. | "Younger" (Kygo Remix) | Seinabo Sey | 5:51 |
| 13. | "Cole's Memories" (Original Mix) | Pyramid | 5:51 |
| 14. | "Sister Saviour" (DFA Dub) | The Rapture | 4:25 |
| 15. | "I Think I Like It" | Fake Blood | 5:34 |
| 16. | "The Drop" (VIP Mix) | Bro Safari | 2:52 |
| 17. | "I Like Tuh" | Carnage featuring ILoveMakonnen | 3:07 |
| 18. | "We Are Your Friends" | Justice vs. Simian | 4:18 |
| Total length: | 78:07 | ||
Charts
edit| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[13] | 97 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[14] | 82 |
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[15] | 14 |
| US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[16] | 1 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[17] | 10 |
References
edit- ^ Records, Interscope. "We Are Your Friends Soundtrack Album Releases Today" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Newman, Melinda (August 28, 2015). "Zac Efron Film 'We Are Your Friends' Puts Big-Screen Spotlight on EDM Scene". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Does EDM Get A Bad Rap? An Interview With 'We Are Your Friends' Director Max Joseph". Junkee. September 2, 2015. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Murray, Gordon (September 10, 2015). "We Are Your Friends Soundtrack Tops Dance/Electronic Albums Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "Can Zac Efron Really DJ? The 'We Are Your Friends' Star Went All In To Prepare For His Role As An Up-And-Coming EDM Star". Bustle. August 26, 2015. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Cabral, R. J. (August 25, 2015). "'We Are Your Friends': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Frosch, Jon (August 25, 2015). "'We Are Your Friends' Finds Zac Efron in Dickensian Dance Music Tale: THR Film Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "Ranking The 'We Are Your Friends' Soundtrack Songs, To Take You From Total Newbie To EDM Expert". Bustle. August 27, 2015. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "We Are Your Friends: The Stereogum Review". Stereogum. August 28, 2015. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "A play-by-play guide to how bad We Are Your Friends is". Mixmag. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Kornhaber, Spencer (September 1, 2015). "Is There an Audience for EDM Movies?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "[INTERVIEW/REVIEW] We Are Your Friends: What Went Wrong?". The Sights And Sounds. October 1, 2015. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "Official Compilation Albums Chart Top 100 - 4 to 10 September". Official Charts Company. September 4, 2015. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100 - 4 to 10 September 2015". Official Charts Company. September 4, 2015. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "Official Soundtrack Albums Chart Top 50 - 4 to 10 September". Official Charts Company. September 4, 2015. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "Dance/Electronic Albums: Week of September 19, 2015". Billboard. September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "Soundtracks: Week of September 19, 2015". Billboard. September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2023.