Crate Digging is a recurring feature that takes a deep dive into music history to turn up several albums all music fans should know. In this edition, co-composers Este Haim and Christopher Stracey break down some iconic film scores.
If there’s one thing that’s immediately going to make Este Haim fall in love with a film score, it’s an air of “haunting beauty.” “Maybe it’s my brand,” she says, speaking with Consequence alongside her co-composer, Christopher Stracey. The two are responsible for the score in the upcoming Hulu film Suncoast, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
In addition to the work with her sisters she’s most known for, Este Haim has also developed an impressive repertoire of scores over the last five years: the 2021 Netflix series Maid, indie darling Cha Cha Real Smooth, and this year’s box office sleeper hit, Anyone But You, have all benefitted from her compositions. Composer and producer Christopher Stracey was her musical partner on all three, and the latest collaboration from the duo arrives for the general public this week in the coming-of-age movie Suncoast.
The semi-autobiographical story from director Laura Chinn stars Nico Parker as Doris, a teenager navigating her experience caring for a very sick brother. “In Doris’s case, she has to grow up so fast, because she’s experiencing something that everyone will eventually experience, but she’s experiencing it very early,” says Stracey, reflecting on developing the score. “I think there’s a real melancholy in the loss of that innocence.”
When speaking about scores that shaped their individual musical sensibilities, it’s clear how much both artists genuinely love this part of the filmmaking process, from the atmospheric eeriness of Annihilation to the human delicacy of Rosemary’s Baby.
Suncoast arrives on Hulu tomorrow, February 9th, on Hulu. Watch the trailer below, and read on for Este and Christopher’s picks for noteworthy scores.