| The Killer (Original Score) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | November 10, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 52:24 | |||
| Label | The Null Corporation | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Killer (Original Score) is the soundtrack to the 2023 film The Killer directed by David Fincher and features original music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The soundtrack was released through Reznor's The Null Corporation label on November 10, 2023, coinciding with its streaming release. [1] [2]
The Killer marked the duo's fifth consecutive collaboration with Fincher after The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), Gone Girl (2014) and Mank (2020), [3] [4] whom signed the film in February 2023. [5] [6] Besides the duo's score, the film includes music from the Smiths. The song "I Know It's Over" played in the trailer. [7] [8] Fincher said he loved the idea of the Killer using it as a tool for "assuaging his anxiety", thinking this "funny and amusing". [9] He also said Smiths music has a "witty sardonic nature" and "it would be amusing that that would be our window into him". [10] Reznor and Ross' score released through the Null Corporation label coinciding with the streaming release on November 10, 2023. [11]
Tom Brehan of Stereogum said that The Killer's score shows them "in their comfort zone" as the score "is all hums and pulses and drones, with occasional shrieks of discordance. Their works makes it sound like some invisible machine is operating under the world’s surface, pushing people against each other violently. That fits the film’s whole message and aesthetic beautifully." [12] Brian Truitt of USA Today wrote "frequent Fincher collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ churning electronic score is symbolic of the main character’s roiling, stressed-out inner turmoil that belies his stoic exterior." [13] Justin Chang, in the Fresh Air talk show in National Public Radio said that "Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' haunting electronic score surges in the background." [14] Mimi Anthikad Chibber of The Hindu, Dominic Griffin of Looper and David Robb of Slant Magazine called the score as "lush", "delightfully dissonant" and "throbbing". [15] [16] [17]
Rohan Naahar of The Indian Express described it as "mostly a collection of guttural rumblings in the name of music". [18] Uday Bhatia of Mint said "Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor supply what only they can, a score that’s sometimes like huskies in a wind tunnel and sometimes the most beautiful electronic wash you’ve ever heard." [19] Jonathan Romney of Screen International wrote "Fincher regulars Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross subtly ramp up the suspense with an electronic score that ranges from eerie ambient to minimal, ominously gurgling electronica." [20] Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle said Reznor and Ross' score "barely music but more rhythmical pops, fizzes, and growls." [21]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Killer" | 0:47 |
| 2. | "Fuck." | 5:14 |
| 3. | "The Hideout" | 2:20 |
| 4. | "Stick to the Plan" | 3:45 |
| 5. | "The Sunshine State" | 3:07 |
| 6. | "Consequences Are Automatic" | 4:57 |
| 7. | "Empathy Is Weakness" | 2:27 |
| 8. | "Never Hesitate" | 4:25 |
| 9. | "The Brute, Pt 1" | 1:33 |
| 10. | "The Brute, Pt 2" | 4:15 |
| 11. | "Intruder" | 4:25 |
| 12. | "The Expert" | 5:31 |
| 13. | "Gonna Have to Call You Back, Marvin" | 1:31 |
| 14. | "One of the Many" | 6:41 |
| 15. | "Trailer" | 1:26 |
| Total length: | 52:24 | |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC) [22] | 15 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC) [23] | 40 |
Michael Trent Reznor is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, which he founded in 1988 and of which he was the sole official member until 2016. The first Nine Inch Nails album, Pretty Hate Machine (1989), was a commercial and critical success. Reznor has since released 11 more Nine Inch Nails studio albums.
Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross is an English musician, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. Along with Trent Reznor, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Social Network in 2010. In 2013, the pair won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for their soundtrack to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In 2021, alongside Jon Batiste, they won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for the soundtrack for Pixar's Soul.
The Social Network is the score album for David Fincher's 2010 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was released on September 28, 2010, through The Null Corporation. On September 17, a five-track sampler was also made available for free. The score bears a similar sound to the previous Reznor/Ross 2008 collaboration, Ghosts I–IV, and even features two slightly reworked tracks from Ghosts; the track "Magnetic" and "A Familiar Taste".
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the score album for David Fincher's 2011 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was released on December 9, 2011, through The Null Corporation in the US and Mute Records outside North America. This is the second soundtrack that Reznor and Ross have worked on together, following the Oscar-winning The Social Network, also for Fincher.
The Twenty Thirteen Tour was a concert tour by industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails to support the album Hesitation Marks. It marked the return of the band for live performances after a four-year touring hiatus. It began on July 26, 2013, and ended on August 30, 2014.
Hesitation Marks is the eighth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on August 30, 2013, by The Null Corporation and distributed by Columbia Records in the United States and Polydor Records elsewhere. It was the band's first release in five years, following The Slip (2008), as well as their only release on Columbia. Like previous albums, the album was produced by frontman Trent Reznor alongside longtime collaborators Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder. To date, this is the most recent Nine Inch Nails album to be co-produced by Moulder.
Remix 2014 EP is the fourth extended play (EP) by American industrial rock band by Nine Inch Nails. It was released on January 21, 2014, exclusively on Beats Music, a streaming service project led by Trent Reznor and Dr. Dre. Trent Reznor acts as the chief creative officer of the website.
Gone Girl is the score album for David Fincher's 2014 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The album was released on September 30, 2014, through Columbia Records. It marks as third time that Reznor and Ross have collaborated with Fincher, following 2010's Oscar-winning The Social Network and 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The soundtrack was nominated for the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, and also for the 2014 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Before the Flood is a collaboration soundtrack album by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Mogwai and Gustavo Santaolalla for Fisher Stevens's film of the same name. It was originally made available as an Apple Music exclusive on October 21, 2016 and received a wide digital release on October 28. A CD release is scheduled for December 16, 2016 with a vinyl release to follow. The song "A Minute to Breathe" was first made available as a digital single on October 7, 2016. The album was released on Lakeshore Records.
Patriots Day is the score album for Peter Berg's 2016 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The album was released digitally on January 13, 2017, through Lakeshore Records. It is the fifth film score composed by the duo.
The Vietnam War (Original Score) is an electronic soundtrack album by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's television documentary series The Vietnam War which first aired on PBS in September 2017. The album was released on vinyl, CD and digitally on September 15, 2017 by Universal Music Enterprises and Reznor's own label The Null Corporation.
Mid90s (Original Music from the Motion Picture) is a soundtrack EP by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for Jonah Hill's film of the same name. It was released digitally on October 19, 2018 through Reznor's label The Null Corporation. It peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.
Mank is a 2020 American biographical drama film about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his development of the screenplay for the 1941 film Citizen Kane. It was directed by David Fincher based on a screenplay written by his late father Jack Fincher and was produced by Ceán Chaffin, Douglas Urbanski, and Eric Roth. It stars Gary Oldman in the title role, alongside Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Arliss Howard, Tom Pelphrey, Sam Troughton, Ferdinand Kingsley, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Burke, Joseph Cross, Jamie McShane, Toby Leonard Moore, Monika Gossman, and Charles Dance.
Watchmen (Music from the HBO Series) is the original score for the HBO superhero drama limited series Watchmen, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The score was released in three volumes on vinyl and digital services over the course of the series' broadcast in 2019, with Volume 1 on November 6, Volume 2 on November 27, and Volume 3 on December 18.
Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2020 Disney-Pixar film Soul. The soundtrack is a compilation of all 23 score pieces by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from the Soul: Original Motion Picture Score vinyl album as well as 16 original songs by Jon Batiste from the Music from and Inspired by Soul vinyl album. All three albums were released through Walt Disney Records on December 18, 2020.
The Killer is a 2023 American action thriller film directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker. It is based on the French graphic novel series The Killer written by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. The film stars Michael Fassbender alongside Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O'Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton in supporting roles. Fassbender plays an assassin who embarks on an international vendetta after a hit goes wrong.
Mank (Original Music Score) is the score album for David Fincher's 2020 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was released by The Null Corporation label on December 4, 2020, coinciding with the worldwide release on Netflix. The film marks Fincher's fourth collaboration with Reznor and Ross after the Academy Award-winning score for The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and Gone Girl (2014). Both Reznor and Ross used period-authentic instrumentation from the 1930s and 40s, instead of their synth-heavy style. The orchestral sections were performed by each members at their homes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Bones and All (Original Score) is the score album to the 2022 film of the same name, directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet. The film's score was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and was released on November 18, 2022, on Reznor's label The Null Corporation. It features 23 score tracks, along with the original song, "(You Make Me Feel Like) Home". The score features acoustic music representing the Midwestern United States, and draws inspiration from classical Americana songs, that depicts the relationship between the leading characters, despite the horror setting.
Bird Box (Original Score) is the score album for the 2018 film of the same name, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The score was published by Maisie Music Publishing, which accompanied the music catalogue for Netflix, the film's distributor and released by Reznor's The Null Corporation label on January 7, 2019, two weeks after the film's release through the band's website and later received a wide release on January 25. While the original album consisted only 10 tracks, the album was issued in a special edition vinyl box set on November 22, 2019, which contained 13 additional tracks.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the soundtrack to the 2023 film of the same name, directed by Jeff Rowe and featuring original music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Reznor and Ross aimed to give some of the tracks a garage band feel. The soundtrack was released on July 28, 2023, by Reznor's label, The Null Corporation, and received a largely positive critical response.