Oneohtrix Point Never – Good Time OST

By sticking to what he knows best, Oneohtrix Point Never has made a strong contribution to a growing body of synth heavy, retro-futuristic film music. Vintage synthesizers, nu-metal, and unusual sample manipulation make Good Time an emotional, fun listen. Fans of the postmodern ultraviolence of Drive will see similarities to Cliff Martinez’s neon-tinged, arpeggiator heavy scores; others may note the valleys of dark ambience that recall Trent Reznor’s film work.

Lopatin displays incredible versatility and a great understanding of how a soundtrack can add considerable emotional weight to a film. Some songs, like The Acid Hits and Flashback, contain chilling moments interspersed with tranquil ambient. Bodega chit-chat on Ray Wakes Up, and other soundbites throughout, give the album a sense of continuity. Good Time does not lack a sense of humor, either. Notes of the horror genre are closer to Castlevania-camp than a screechy, Hollywood second fiddle, and the most unsettling track is probably also the cheesiest: a duet with Iggy Pop called The Pure and The Damned.

Good Times is like an 0PN greatest hits collection, displaying all of Lopatin’s compositional depth and cheek, like on the shape-shifting Connie, or the bombastic Ray Wakes Up. While displaying every tongue-in-cheek, New Age sleight of hand Lopatin is famous for, it all feels less immaculate this time around, more polished for the big screen.

A defining statement in a new age of powerful, symphonic soundtracks, it capitalizes on over a century of technologies and techniques. Just like the Wagnerian operas that preceded Modernism, Oneohtrix Point Never leads a group of composers whose works can stand outside their film context as great albums in their own right.

Listen to: Ray Wakes Up, The Beautiful and the Damned

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Read our review of Good Time from its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival