Boy Erased (soundtrack)

Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, who previously scored Edgerton's The Gift (2015), reunited with the director to compose for Boy Erased.^[1][2] When the duo provided the script, they felt more excited as it was departed from the tonality of his previous film, adding "The idea of doing something a little bit more real and socially conscious and relevant was really attractive to us. But also, the idea of taking a complicated drama and finding a way to score it that would avoid pushing it into too much of a sappier, overemotional situation."^[3] However, it was further challenging for the duo, as they had to navigate the dramatic, emotional, societal aspects through music;^[4] Jurrians added "We wanted to avoid being too subversive. A big orchestral score can push you in certain directions."^[4]

Bensi and Jurriaans wrote a "meandering couple of melodies" and a piano piece as the opening cue which needed to set the tone and the melodies recurring at special moments; however, when they first wrote the piece, it was "kind of like a meandering, soulful, introspective piece" which they thought about.^[3] The cue had two sections: A and B and found that the approach worked. Afterwards, the cue shifts in-between baroque and classical music, where a "strict, arpeggiated piano motif" recurring, and a piano which served as the backbone of that piece to provide an "exciting and poignant" but serious tune.^[3] Afterwards, the other instruments come in after multiple ideas taking place.^[3] Edgerton's likeness to the piano—as his previous film The Gift utilized more piano—resulted in the instrument being prominent.^[3] However, they used numerous pizzicato strings and interlocking rhythmic parts that represented the struggle in Jared's (Lucas Hedges) thoughts. A subtle boys choir was also utilized to provide nods to "the idea of religious choir music, and also bringing in the idea of innocence and humanity" along with violins which they consider it to be "very frail and naked and fragile".^[3]

The score had subtle influences of Arvo Pärt's works, which Bensi attributed to his style of writing where "the color works so well in modern day, to bow to that epic, religious, omnipotent vibe" without orchestras and the use of traditional chords which provide a subtle, powerful musical palette.^[3] As the duo liked their minimalistic writing, they partly approached with a minimalistic stuff to musically narrate Jared's thoughts.^[3] The use of two violins in the high registers represent the two thoughts in his head, with the sinister bass line holding the suspension as he tries to figure out; the violins are considered to be passionate in narrating Jared thoughts' but with a religious feel—"a sense of awe that he's dealing with very big and very important, introspective issues."^[3]

Bensi and Jurrians played most of the instruments where the layer the strings and piano; all of them were recorded live.^[5] Initially, they wanted to play the solo violin in parts. However, once the cues were composed and which Edgerton liked it, they conducted and recorded a chamber string ensemble of violins to play on top of the strings to provide a different sound and experiment them. Besides, they also brought a piano player to record them as the duo wanted a different interpretation of their piano playing and experimented them.^[3] The recording of the boys' choir was used in an untraditional, modern musical way where the choir members being instructed to do "rhythmical, weird, avant-garde stuff" to provide texture;^[3][4] similar to the likes of Philip Glass and Steve Reich, they added syncopated and rhythmic syllables.^[4] The sounds of strings were bended in pitches which had been liked by Edgerton, with Bensi added "Those bendy violins are Beethovian chords, quite dark, emotive, introspective music. It was a theatrical musical technique to create a kind of dizzying, disoriented effect."^[4]

The film features an original song "Revelation" performed by Troye Sivan (who also starred in the film) alongside Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi.^[6] It was released as a single on October 18, 2018.^[7][8] Sivan performed the song live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, to promote the film.^[9][10][11] The soundtrack was released through Back Lot Music on October 26.^[12]

Jeffrey Bloomer of Slate wrote "The movie's puzzling score, by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, pounds away at us with each new blow, as if this must turn into a literal horror movie for us to feel the weight of what we’re seeing."^[13] Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle called it as an "uneasy-listening score".^[14] Sandy Schaefer of Screen Rant noted that the score "does its part to enliven certain scenes and better bring out the emotions of any particular moment, yet sometimes their music almost clashes with the movie's otherwise downbeat sense of atmosphere."^[15] Anish Tamhaney of The Michigan Daily called it as a "perplexing score".^[16] David Ehrlich of IndieWire considered the score to be "sad and gorgeously febrile".^[17]

Credits adapted from liner notes:^[18]