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Sinners (soundtrack)

Soundtrack and score to the 2025 film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The music for the 2025 period supernatural horror film Sinners written, produced, and directed by Ryan Coogler, consisted of two projects produced by Sony Music. The first album, Sinners (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), featured various genres performed by blues musicians along with the cast members. The second album, Sinners (Original Motion Picture Score), consisted of the original score composed by Ludwig Göransson, Coogler's frequent collaborator. Both albums were distributed under the Sony Masterworks and Sony Classical Records labels on April 18, 2025, the same day as the film's release.

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Original soundtrack

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Quick facts Soundtrack album by various artists, Released ...

Background

Coogler's regular collaborator Ludwig Göransson worked on the soundtrack of Sinners.[1] Göransson developed the soundscape from his experience with American blues music, having grown up with his father who was a blues aficionado and listening to blues musicians' as well as filming their concerts.[1] He was also obsessed with Metallica during his early stages, that developed his musical interest and a passion for guitar. When he read the script, he was impressed on Coogler's integration of music into the narrative which "felt organic and unforced" and was evident that "they were all interconnected with great intentionality".[2]

For Sinners, Coogler and Göransson worked together on developing the music, with the former having played the guitar during the scriptwriting sessions while also being trained by Göransson on mastering the instruments.[1] They felt challenged in making the music authentic to the movie's 1930's setting, with Göransson saying "What did it really sound like back then? How do we make the audience today feel like they’re hearing something fresh, yet true to the time?"[2] The major problem being there are no great recordings of the 1930s and film footages were lost. The remains of the music from that period, were distorted in pitch, as well as hissing and scratching all over the records.[2] However, as those recordings were captured live on stage, "it was this energy and atmosphere of live musical performances that we wanted to capture in the juke joint setting."[2]

During the pre-production, Coogler sent Göransson several recordings from the 1930s and early 1940s, particularly the works of Robert Johnson and Tommy Johnson; much of the music had been integrated into the script, and consisted of music from various genres—blues, Irish folk, gospel, jazz and soul music—all of them were performed onscreen.[2]

Production

Coogler and Göransson insisted on Ludwig's wife Serena Göransson producing the songs. As Serena was skeptical that they would be able to record them in studio and be able to visit New Orleans during weekends, they instead rented a house there and stayed for three months, writing the music. Serena Göransson, a classically-trained violinist, said that the southern Black music had to be handled with care and expert consultation, adding "I feel like a steward with this project [...] especially with the music. I just feel that it has a life of its own and the right artists are coming in to collaborate with us at the right time."[1]

The couple worked with Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, a blues producer who owns Royal Studios, visiting the B.B. King Museum and local juke joints in Clarksdale and Indianola with him for inspiration. They recorded the songs at Royal Studios for five days with Mitchell and musicians including Alvin Youngblood Hart and Cedric Burnside.[2] Mitchell also worked with other blues musicians including Brittany Howard (the lead singer and guitarist of Alabama Shakes), Raphael Saadiq, Bobby Rush and Buddy Guy (who also starred in the film).[2][3]

They rented a studio converted from a church in New Orleans and worked with the supporting cast Jack O'Connell, Lola Kirke, Peter Dreimanis and Jayme Lawson, rehearsing their songs multiple times. Much of the film was recorded live on set, with the cast members performing alongside other blues musicians.[1] Hailee Steinfeld wrote and recorded the original song "Dangerous" for this film.[4]

Release

Unlike most of Warner Bros. films, whose music being released through their in-house label WaterTower Music or record labels owned by Warner Music Group, the soundtrack and score to Sinners (produced and distributed by Warner Bros.) were released through Sony Music labels.[5] The soundtrack was released through Sony Masterworks on April 18, 2025, the same day as the film,[6] featuring 22 tracks performed by an array of blues musicians, alongside the cast members.[7][8] The eponymous song, performed by Rod Wave, preceded as the single two weeks prior.[5][9]

Reception

Brandon Zachary of Screen Rant wrote "Sinners boasts a very impressive soundtrack that matches the critical heights of the Ryan Coogler vampire film."[7] Kambole Campbell of Little White Lies described it as a "typically inventive soundtrack from Ludwig Göransson".[10] David Ehrlich of IndieWire wrote "This isn’t the first time that a Ludwig Göransson score has been inextricable from the texture of a Ryan Coogler movie, but “Sinners” opens with someone talking about a kind of music “so pure it can pierce the veil between life and death, past and future” (a heavy gauntlet to drop at your composer’s feet!), and then proceeds to show us exactly what that sounds like. Twangy bass lines thick enough to saw down a redwood tree are shredded with shivers of electric guitar to create a blues sound that cuts a hole straight through the decades."[11]

Track listing

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Original score

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Quick facts Film score by Ludwig Göransson, Released ...

Background

Göransson described Sinners as a personal and ambitious score, reflecting his own musical journey.[16] He drew inspiration from blues music and performed the score on a 1932 Dobro Cyclops resonator guitar, the same guitar Sammie Moore (Miles Caton) carries throughout the film.[1][5] It was written at the sets as with the original songs. Göransson interlaced the underscore with the musical sequences featured in the film, which was considered to be challenging.[1]

Release

The score album featuring 22 tracks was released under the Sony Classical Records label on April 18, 2025, the same day as the film.[5][17]

Reception

Mae Abdulbaki of Screen Rant stated "The music alone, from the songs played by the characters to the score by Ludwig Göransson, takes the film to another level. It’s mesmerizing and expertly placed, effectively bringing the first and second half of the film together."[18] Amy Nicholson of Los Angeles Times wrote "Ludwig Göransson’s phenomenal score backs Coogler up, layering fiddles over doom metal as if they were meant to harmonize. This is music you’ve never heard and yet it seems to come from deep inside our pop-cultural soul, a symphony of violence for a country that looks at a violin case and imagines a Tommy gun."[19] Kambole Campbell added "The multifaceted score begins with blues guitar playing as a base before subtly layering other styles of music over it."[10] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter described it as a "flavorful [...] with the score and the blues performances fusing together to intoxicating effect."[20] Zachary Barnes of The Wall Street Journal called Ludwig's score "a twangy marvel of genre-crossing interpolation."[21]

Track listing

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Personnel

Credits adapted from Film Music Reporter:[22]

Featured musicians

Buddy Guy's band

  • Performers: Cornelius Hall, Thomas Hambridge, Connor Korte, Charles Plakosh, Daniel Souvigney, Orlando Wright

DC6 Singers Collective

  • Conductor: David Saul Lee
  • Performers: Margaret Best Collins, Dedrick Bonner, Jantre Christian, Lavance Colley, Jyvonne Haskin, Brinn Horton, Joslynn James, Andre Kelly, Eric Lyn, Lakesha Shantrell Nugent, Ronnie Ohannon, Lydia Rene, Tia Simone, Loren Smith, William Washington

Pleasant Valley Youth Choir of New Orleans

  • Conductor: Reginald Varnado, Jr.
  • Performers: Victor Augustine IV, iana Bierria, Journie Elzy, Layle McCormick, Bailey Samuels, Brandon Samuels, Jr., Arden Varnado, Avery Williams, Demi Varnado, Tyler Williams

Incarcerated Workers

  • Soloists: Carl LeBlanc, Dominique McClellan
  • Performers: Derron Guillory, Jonriccas Harris, Zamond Herbert, Titus Joshua, Benjamin Osborne, Derek Raymond, Ariq Robinson, Bryant Spears, Kyron Walker, Reginald Williams

Orchestra

  • Conductor: Anthony Parnther, Pete Anthony, Vince Mendoza
  • Contractor: Encompass Music Partners, Boo Mitchell
  • Orchestrations: Pete Anthony
  • Concertmaster: Tereza Stanislav
  • Principal second violin: Alyssa Park
  • Principal viola: Rob Brophy
  • Principal cello: Jacob Braun

Charts

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References

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