Milan Records today releases Cliff Martinez's original score for the Amazon Prime series The Wilds. Part survival drama, part dystopic slumber party, the show follows a group of teen girls from different backgrounds who must fight for survival after a plane crash strands them on a deserted island. The castaways both clash and bond as they learn more about each other, the secrets they keep, and the traumas they've all endured. There’s just one twist to this thrilling drama… these girls did not end up on this island by accident. Also included on the 21-track album is a new song by Empress Of entitled 'Broken'...

On a purely technical point of view, and considering the project this is composed for, I actually found the music for The Wilds really interesting. However, it's not the sort of soundtrack that I would personally buy myself, nor listen to for enjoyment. I can appreciate how it works wonderfully to heighten the onscreen action, but it just left me felling a little cold when listening to on its own merits (which to be honest, it was never intended to be).

discussing the soundtrack, composer Cliff Martinez says, "The Wilds is a story about the odyssey of adolescence for ten young women. Not a subject I have a lot of familiarity with and it clearly perched me on the edge of my musical comfort zone. Nonetheless, I put on my teenage girl hat and embraced the challenge. For this score, I put aside my usual preoccupation with sparse instrumentation and stark undulating textures in favour of more traditional musical food groups such as… uh... harmony and melody! The resulting score to The Wilds is probably one of my most uniquely ‘musical’ efforts."

The inclusion of the Empress Of song 'Broken' helps to round this album off nicely. And while it's not a score I really got a lot out of, I'm sure fans of the show will find it interesting.

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Darren Rea