Caroline Polachek has unveiled “Starburned and Unkissed,” her original contribution to the absolutely stacked soundtrack for Jane Schoenbrun and A24’s new film, I Saw the TV Glow.
Produced by Polachek alongside A.G. Cook, “Starburned and Unkissed” is cathartic, noisy, and anthemic — the distorted electric guitar that drops in the song’s chorus is so visceral that it feels alien to the sun-soaked ecstasy of Polachek’s last album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. A press release notes that “Starburned and Unkissed” features prominently in the film, and the song’s grungy hue mirrors the film’s eerie, psychological horror backdrop. Stream the track below.
“Starburned and Unkissed” is the third single released in advance of I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack following Florist’s “Riding Around in the Dark” and yeule’s rendition of Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year Old Girl.” The 15-song OST also features contributions from Bartees Strange, Jay Som, L’Rain, Drab Majesty, Sloppy Jane ft. Phoebe Bridgers, and more. It’ll arrive in full on DSPs beginning May 10th, with a vinyl release — featuring a bonus track of Snail Mail covering Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight” — also available for pre-order.
In addition, Alex G provided the score for I Saw the TV Glow, reprising his collaborative streak with Schoenbrun after composing the score for their last film, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Alex G’s original score for I Saw the TV Glow will be out on May 16th, the day before the film receives a wide release.
Caroline Polachek, meanwhile, is coming off the release of Desire, I Want to Turn Into You: Everasking Edition, a deluxe version of her acclaimed 2023 album (which we named as one of the best albums of the year). Revisit our review of Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, which we named as “an enchanting pop masterpiece.”