Going the Distance (soundtrack)

The soundtrack featured three original songs performed for the film by the Boxer Rebellion, and had contributions from the Airborne Toxic Event, Passion Pit, Band of Skulls, and the Cure. In addition to writing two songs, the band also appeared in the film. Its frontman and lead singer Nathan Nicholson, recalled that they had played a show in April 2009 at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, which was attended by executives from New Line Cinema. Though their involvement in the film was limited to the contribution of songs, upon meeting the director Nanette Burstein, they were asked to play them on camera. In a span of one month, they wrote and recorded three songs, while two of them were shot.^[1] Dana Sano served as the music supervisor, and compiled the soundtrack with Eric Scully and Alessandra Stuart.^[2] The album, featuring 16 tracks, was released through WaterTower Music on August 24, 2010,^[3] and a deluxe edition with three additional tracks was released on September 14.^[4]

James Christopher Monger of AllMusic wrote "Offering up a winning blend of indie rock royalty and post-punk/alt-rock icons Going the Distance is the sound of you, the twenty/thirtysomething listener, pressing the shuffle button your smart phone/MP3 player."^[5] Lonnie Nemiroff of The Miami Hurricane wrote "With the perfect blend of light heartedness and profoundness in the soundtrack, Going the Distance can only radiate more with liveliness once characters are involved."^[6] Justin Chang of Variety felt the music choices "often feel weirdly dated" while Empire's Ian Freer noted the use of extensive indie rock and alternative rock.^[2][7]