The Haxan Cloak – “Fire Temple”
Hereditary, director Ari Aster’s terrifying first feature film, was scored by avant-garde saxophonist and prolific indie-rock collaborator Colin Stetson. And for the soundtrack to his next horror movie, Midsommar, which hits theaters today, Aster enlisted another big name: Bobby Krlic, aka the Haxan Cloak, the occult-inspired UK electronic music producer who’s worked with Björk, Father John Misty, serpentwithfeet, and more.
Midsommar stars Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor as a young American couple who visit a remote Swedish village during a sinister midsummer festival. Aster wrote the movie’s script while listening to the Haxan Cloak, and Krlic composed diegetic music in addition to the score — ritualistic drones and chants that the villagers sing, written and performed with traditional Nordic instruments and a vocal language developed specifically for the film.
The full soundtrack album comes out on Friday, and today, Krlic is sharing “Fire Temple,” its nine-and-a-half-minute closing track. Instead of the scraping strings and piano plinks of your traditional horror movie score, “Fire Temple” is a sweepingly lovely orchestral fantasia that only curdles into the barest hint of madness, a fitting companion to Aster’s sun-dappled fairytale visuals. Listen and watch the Midsommar trailer below.
TRACKLIST:
01 “Prophesy “
02 “Gassed”
03 “Hålsingland”
04 “The House That Hårga Built”
05 “Attestupan”
06 “Ritual In Transfigured Time”
07 “Murder (Mystery)”
08 “The Blessing”
09 “Chorus Of Sirens
10 “A Language Of Sex”
11 “Hårga, Collapsing”
12 “Fire Temple”
The Midsommar score is out this Friday, 7/5, on Milan Records.