Daniel Isn't Real (soundtrack)

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Daniel Isn't Real
Daniel Isn't Real (soundtrack).jpg
Soundtrack album by
Clark
Released6 December 2019
Recorded2019
StudioEast Connection Studio 22, Budapest
Genre
Length56:06
Label Deutsche Grammophon
Producer Clark
Clark chronology
Kiri Variations
(2019)		Daniel Isn't Real
(2019)		 Playground in a Lake
(2021)

Daniel Isn't Real is a soundtrack album by British electronic musician Clark, released on 6 December 2019 on Deutsche Grammophon. [1] It is the original score for the psychological horror film Daniel Isn't Real (2019), directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer, produced by SpectreVision and starring Patrick Schwarzenegger and Miles Robbins. [2] The album was Clark's first release on Deutsche Grammophon and his first feature film score. [3]

Contents

Background

The film, based on Brian DeLeeuw's novel In This Way I Was Saved, follows Luke, a troubled college student who resurrects his childhood imaginary friend with dangerous consequences. It premiered at South by Southwest in March 2019 and was released theatrically on 6 December 2019 by Samuel Goldwyn Films. [2]

Clark had previously scored television series including The Last Panthers (2015), Rellik (2017) and Kiri (2018), but Daniel Isn't Real was his first commission for a feature film. [3] He described the project as "particularly rewarding scoring Luke, clambering inside the electric majesty of his slowly dissolving mind", adding that "new pathways into forging electronics with orchestra can be found here". [4]

The score features the Budapest Art Orchestra string ensemble, conducted by Pejtsik Péter and recorded at East Connection Studio 22 in Budapest, with orchestrations by Finn McNicholas. [5] Clark later described it as "the first time I'd ever recorded strings and those tracks on the album are the ones that worked". [6] Director Pablo Larraín subsequently heard the soundtrack and approached Clark directly to compose the score for Lisey's Story (2021). [7]

Expanded edition

An expanded edition was released digitally on 9 October 2020 on Deutsche Grammophon, adding three bonus tracks: "Isolation Theme (Thom Yorke Remix)", "Creel Etude" and "Amor (C.B. Rework)". [8] Thom Yorke's remix of "Isolation Theme" arose from a reciprocal exchange: Clark had previously remixed Yorke's "Not the News" from Anima (2019). [8] Yorke said the remix was inspired by the pandemic, describing it as reflecting "being told to stay indoors, entering a new type of silence". [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]

Electronic Sound called the score "deliciously degraded". [10] Headphone Commute gave the album a positive review, calling it "textural, organic, and incredibly dynamic" and describing it as "a tense and anxiety-driven affair" befitting the film's depiction of psychotic violence. [3] The reviewer praised the variations on a single theme throughout the album, noting its cohesive structure reminiscent of classical form rather than a collection of discrete cues. [3]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Luke Entering"0:46
2."Spiral Crackerjack"4:02
3."You're Pulling My Face Off"3:04
4."I'm Pulling My Face Off"3:14
5."Tickling a Nutter"1:18
6."Volatile"4:11
7."Realm Promo"2:57
8."Cassie Falling"1:23
9."Diamond Body"3:28
10."Mumanguish"0:58
11."Snowflake Banger"2:32
12."Experts in Light"2:52
13."Isolation Theme (Thigpen)"3:52
14."Isolation Theme 2"3:59
15."Amor"3:52
16."Abyss Thick and Wide"4:58
17."Luke Falling"8:40
Total length:56:06
Expanded edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
18."Isolation Theme (Thom Yorke Remix)"4:09
19."Creel Etude"2:52
20."Amor (C.B. Rework)"4:09

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [5]

References

  1. ↑ "Daniel Isn't Real (Soundtrack) – Clark". Deutsche Grammophon . Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 "'Daniel Isn't Real' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Clark – Daniel Isn't Real". Headphone Commute. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "'Daniel Isn't Real' Soundtrack by UK electronic artist Clark". ZoneOut. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Clark – Daniel Isn't Real (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Discogs . Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Interview with Lisey's Story Composer Clark". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  7. ↑ "The Realistic and the Fantastic: Clark Discusses His New Score for Stephen King's 'Lisey's Story'". Vehlinggo. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Breihan, Tom (15 September 2020). "Thom Yorke Remixes "Isolation Theme," From Clark's Score For Horror Movie 'Daniel Isn't Real': Listen". Stereogum . Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  9. ↑ "Clark: Daniel Isn't Real". Mojo . 2020.
  10. ↑ "Clark – Daniel Isn't Real OST". Electronic Sound . Retrieved 25 February 2026.
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