| Challengers (Original Score) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | April 26, 2024 | |||
| Genre | Electronic | |||
| Length | 40:50 | |||
| Label | Milan | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross film score chronology | ||||
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| Luca Guadagnino film score chronology | ||||
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Challengers (Original Score) is the soundtrack album composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the 2024 film Challengers by Luca Guadagnino. It was digitally released by Milan Records on April 26, 2024, the same day as the film's theatrical release in the United States.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross had previously worked with director Luca Guadagnino, scoring Guadagnino's 2022 film Bones and All . [1] Guadagnino approached the pair to score Challengers by sending them an email that read, "Do you want to be on my next film? It’s going to be super sexy." [2] Guadagnino wanted "very loud techno music" for the film, [3] taking inspiration from Berlin techno and '90s rave music. [2] The end result was intended to amplify the pace and high-stakes nature of the film. [4]
Ty Burr of The Washington Post called the soundtrack "one of [Reznor and Ross's] best to date." [5] Mireia Mullor of Digital Spy called the score "phenomenal," [6] while Robbie Collin of The Telegraph called it "counterintuitively perfect." [7] Max Weiss of Baltimore called the score a "standout," writing, "It's mostly fast-paced electronica, which disrupts and propels the action at unexpected moments. It has a freneticism with fuels the film." [8]
Coleman Spilde of The Daily Beast wrote, "Such euphoric filmmaking is enhanced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' intoxicating, synth-heavy score, which asserts itself as an indispensable part of the film. In Challengers, the music acts as punctuation, both periods and ellipses." [9] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the score "[captures] the electric heartbeat of the movie." [10] Tim Grierson of Screen Daily wrote "Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross [concocted] a techno-heavy score that lends the matches a dance-party urgency that is both witty and invigorating." [11]
Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "[Reznor and Ross] craft a pulsating, synth-filled composition that ratchets up the tension until it's taut as the strings of a racquet. It's as if the U.S. Open decided to use sonic riffs from Miami Vice as a theme song. The electronic, staccato rhythm mimics the rapid back-and-forth of tennis while also catapulting us into a sound that is inherently sexy in the ways it evokes the hypnotic trance of a dance club." [12]
Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence wrote, "Propelling the on-court action is Reznor and Ross's score, bringing a level of bombast to the sports action that at times threatens to overwhelm the action, without ever actually proving distracting." [13] Angelica Jade Bastién of Vulture wrote that the score "lends the film a tense propulsion that the storytelling itself desperately lacks." [14] Caryn James of BBC wrote, "One of the best surprises turns out to be the soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, a propulsive techno score that does a lot of the work to keep the tennis scenes moving." [15]
Valerie Complex of Deadline wrote, "Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score, typically a highlight, feels oddly juxtaposed against the film's visual and emotional landscape with its '80s synth-pop elements. At times, it enhances the scenes' emotional depth, but more often it distracts, undermining the subtlety of the performances and the intimacy of certain moments." [16]
All music is composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, except as noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Challengers" | 1:25 | ||
| 2. | ""I Know"" | 2:18 | ||
| 3. | "Yeah x10" | 2:38 | ||
| 4. | "L'oeuf" | 3:59 | ||
| 5. | "The Signal" | 3:11 | ||
| 6. | "Brutalizer" | 3:01 | ||
| 7. | "Stopper" | 1:42 | ||
| 8. | "Brutalizer 2" | 1:58 | ||
| 9. | "The Points That Matter" | 1:49 | ||
| 10. | "Lullaby" | 0:38 | ||
| 11. | "Final Set" | 3:06 | ||
| 12. | "Pull Over" | 2:48 | ||
| 13. | "Friday Afternoons, Op. 7: A New Year Carol" | Benjamin Britten |
| 2:06 |
| 14. | "Friday Afternoons, Op. 7: A New Year Carol (Part 2)" | Britten | 1:14 | |
| 15. | "Challengers: Match Point" | 5:02 | ||
| 16. | "Compress / Repress" | 3:49 | ||
| Total length: | 40:50 | |||
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard) [17] | 20 |
| US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [18] | 14 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | April 26, 2024 | Milan Records | [19] |
| Challengers [Mixed] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Remix album by | |
| Released | April 12, 2024 |
| Genre | Electronic |
| Length | 28:13 |
| Label | Milan |
| Producer | |
Before the film and soundtrack's release, Reznor and Ross approached German producer Boys Noize about creating a remix album for the film's score. Initially, Boys Noize was hesitant about changing Reznor and Ross's original work too much, only making minor edits, but the pair encouraged him to be more experimental. [20] He had not seen the film or a trailer until the remix album was completed. [21]
The remix album was released on April 12, 2024, two weeks before the official soundtrack album was released. [22] [23]
Paolo Ragusa of Consequence called the remix album "astounding" and wrote, "Dance music at its core is built from what came before; it is meant to be extracted and expanded, remixed and recontexualized. A film score is not usually the subject of such chopping and screwing, but if anyone was going to do it and absolutely nail it, it's Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Boys Noize." [24]
All music is composed by Boys Noize, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross, except as noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "'I Know'" | 3:05 | |
| 2. | "Yeah x10" | 3:36 | |
| 3. | "L'oeuf" | 2:15 | |
| 4. | "Challengers" | 3:00 | |
| 5. | "Pre Signal" | 0:55 | |
| 6. | "The Signal" | 4:38 | |
| 7. | "Brutalizer" | 5:11 | |
| 8. | "Compress / Repress" | 4:51 | |
| 9. | "A New Year Carol" | Benjamin Britten | 0:38 |
| Total length: | 28:13 | ||
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.
Ghosts I–IV is the sixth studio album by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released by The Null Corporation on March 2, 2008. It was the band's first independent release following their split from longtime label Interscope Records in 2007. The production team included Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, studio collaborators Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder, and contributions from Alessandro Cortini, Adrian Belew, and Brian Viglione.
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".
"Mr. Self Destruct" is a song by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails. It was released on March 8, 1994. Written by frontman Trent Reznor, co-produced by Flood and recorded at Le Pig in 1993, it is the opening track of The Downward Spiral (1994), and predicts the album's "ugly" aesthetic and mostly "angry" tone. The song also gives a lyrical background of the album's protagonist. Its title is a reference to the eponymous opening track from British new wave duo Soft Cell's 1984 album This Last Night in Sodom.
Alexander Ridha, better known by his stage name Boys Noize, is a German electronic music record producer, songwriter, and DJ. In 2005, Ridha established his label, Boysnoize Records. Ridha has remixed the work of a number of other artists, including Snoop Dogg and Depeche Mode. In 2019, he produced Frank Ocean's song "DHL".
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.
"Copy of a" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the second single from their eighth studio album, Hesitation Marks (2013). It was originally released as a free digital download on Amazon in the United States and the United Kingdom for a limited time starting on August 13, 2013. On August 20, the song was made available on the iTunes Store. It was also made available to those who had pre-ordered the album from Nine Inch Nails' official online store, together with "Came Back Haunted" in a zip file labeled "Hesitation Marks Singles".
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.
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.
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.
Challengers is a 2024 American romantic sports drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes. It follows a professional tennis champion who plots a comeback with the help of his wife (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy who retired after an injury, as he goes up against another player, who also happens to be his former best friend and wife's former lover.
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.
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, coincided with its streaming release.