Last week, some theaters premiered an exciting new title that people might be talking about for months. Yes, Black Adam is great, but the new Martin McDonagh film is now among us, and the director and screenwriter has once again struck gold with his storytelling. If you’ve seen The Banshees of Inisherin or are excited to check it out, you know that music is an essential part of composing a compelling narrative, and Hollywood Records shared with Collider that the comedy/drama has a lot to say in that department – and you can now hear the soundtrack of the movie yourself to discover how innovative and experimental it is.
The score for The Banshees of Inisherin is composed by two-time Academy Award nominee Carter Burwell (Carol, True Grit). In an exclusive video, the composer talks about his decision to go in a completely different direction from what you expect from a comedy movie in terms of music, and how that decision comments on the characters’ personalities. In order to achieve that, Burwell played with some uncommon instruments like the gamelan, along with mainly three others: The celeste (a keyboard that plays bell sounds), the harp, and the flute. He explained how the score came together:
“We have similar sensibilities. Martin’s writing is very particular – it involves a dark view of the world, a really vicious sense of humor, and a lot of humanity. That combination is something we have in common. […] I approach every film as its own world. Even though Martin and I have done several films together and they’re all Martin McDonagh films, they’re all different. […] It’s also a bit strange for a movie taking place in Inisherin. But I kind of like the strangeness, and I found myself weaving gamelan instruments into the score as an experiment. […] These are all very pretty, almost childlike instruments, which wouldn’t be out of place in a fairy tale. They fit Pádraic [Colin Farrell’s character], who is a little bit of a man-child. As you follow the dark road that the story goes down, the music starts to feel more ironic. Even though these were all very light sounds, the tunes are not.”
The Banshees of Inisherin is the follow-up to McDonagh’s internationally acclaimed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. It’s set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland and follows two guys (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) whose friendship suddenly comes to a stop. While one tries to understand what’s going on, the other only strengthens his resolve to remain distant. You’ll probably hear a lot more about the movie’s soundtrack when the Awards season comes along, but for now you can listen to it on all streaming platforms.
The interview with Burwell is part of larger video series called "The Big Score," which the Disney Music Group launched last month. You can listen to Burwell discussing his work in the video and find the full tracklist and listen link below:
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN SOUNDTRACK ORIGINAL SCORE ALBUM TRACKLISTING
- Walking Home Alone
- Night Falls on Inisherin
- Marking The Calendar
- The Island Comes To Church
- Doesn't Time Be Flying
- Standing Prayer
- Delivering Milk But No News
- Colm Takes The Reins
- Padraic Wakes - Driving Into The Rain
- The First Finger
- Padraic and Jenny
- Padraic Keeps Quiet
- Colm Throws The Balance
- Jenny and The Fourth
- Dark Padraic
- Siobhan Leaves
- The Slow Passing of Time
- Padraic Leaves The Church
- My Life Is On Inisherin
- A Smoldering New Day
- The Mystery of Inisherin
Listen to The Banshees of Inisherin soundtrack and watch the film in theaters now.