EMA – #Horror Score

Creepy Tension: Apt for the Title

Erika M. Anderson has transferred her dark and introspective songwriting skills to that of a feature film by Tara Subkoff. The product is a profound and personal score, that can leave one feeling uncomfortable at times. The first two tracks of this album feel like incomplete songs. They are experimental blurbs of music, sound, and effect. The first full song is “Amnesia Haze,” which has pretty synthesized notes underlying repetitions of “You were just a child, child, child.” The vocals are feminine, delicate, and touching—not what listeners might expect from an album entitled #Horror Score. 

Following are two more brief, experimental tracks, the first full of repetitive notes, and the second, “Whispers,” consisting of exactly that: fifteen seconds of whispers. But then, “Harsmellow World” really stands out with almost playful musical components and vocal notes that give the song a pseudo upbeat, uplifting sound. This strangely contrasts with “Danger Theme,” which comes two songs later and produces a sense of tension and, perhaps as one would expect from the title, apprehension. This effect flows from an edgy combination of monotonous vocal tones and string notes. The unsettling, creepy aura is perpetuated by the next few tracks, “Cat in the Woods,” “Running Danger,” “Dr. White in the Woods,” “Dr. White in the House,” and “Foreshadowing Pain.” These tracks are all fairly nondescript, consisting of eery, edgy musical sounds, which seem mainly the product of synthesizers. Then, the track “The Girls Were Really Mean” has a nuanced tone, with some almost positive vibes in it. After that, “Soul Cycle,” is fairly nondescript, but “Horror” stands a bit apart with instrumentation that is more energetic, yet still spooky. Perpetuating this effect is “Spooky Fingers,” another brief clip of music, less than thirty seconds long.

Towards the end of the album, “Exit Music” is a more refined piece, with lovely, melancholic violin work that seems to morph gradually into dissonant moans. It is offset by almost water-like sound effects in the background. As the piece progresses, it waivers between sad beauty and tension. Lastly, the album concludes with another version of “Amnesia Haze,” wrapping up with beautiful nostalgia that produces a brightening effect when compared to the majority of the tracks on this album. All in all, one can imagine the repetitive, often nondescript tracks on #Horror Score being an apt soundtrack for a spooky horror movie.