S24 - Ep 9 - Alien: Earth - Score Composition

In Alien: Earth, the music has to merge sci-fi horror with sci-fi action — all while carrying the emotional core of Noah Hawley’s storytelling.

This week on Below the Line, Score Composer Jeff Russo joins Skid and returning co-host Louis Weeks to discuss his work on Alien: Earth, the FX series now airing its first season. An Emmy-winning and multiple Emmy-nominated composer, Jeff talks through how his music honors the legacy of Alien while building something entirely new — with select clips from his score woven throughout the conversation.

Here’s what we cover:

• Collaborating with Noah Hawley from the earliest concept stage — five years before cameras rolled
• Weaving together the tones of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) while still making the score uniquely his own
• Creating distinct sonic palettes for human, alien, and synth characters — and finding ways to blend them
• Crafting character-driven themes, including Wendy’s motif and the “Siblings” theme
• Integrating unusual instruments like the bass desmaphone and Aztec death whistle to shape the show’s sonic identity
• How serialized storytelling allows themes to grow and evolve across multiple episodes
• Building episode-specific releases, like the standalone score for Episode 5

Jeff also shares how his long creative partnership with Hawley has shaped his process — and why building trust early makes it easier to take musical risks later.

🎧 Press play and go Below the Line on Alien: Earth. For more, visit belowtheline.biz.