Ryan Lott

Everything Everywhere All at Once is a sci-fi comedy independent film that came out in the spring of 2022. It’s a huge hit that made over $100 million at the box office. It’s already been named the best movie of the year by several publications and awards organizations. The movie stars the legendary actress Michelle Yeoh, and was directed by the Daniels, the directing duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The score for the film is by the band Son Lux. In addition to the score, Son Lux also made the original song for the film’s end credits: "This is a Life," featuring two prestigious guest vocalists: Mitski and David Byrne of the Talking Heads. For this episode, I spoke to Ryan Lott from Son Lux, as well as the Daniels. Ryan tells the story of how the song was created, with his bandmates and Mitski and David Byrne and Daniels all adding to it and shaping it. For more, visit songexploder.net/son-lux.

Ryan Lott, Rafiq Bhatia, and Ian Chang of Son Lux share their journey from indie success to scoring Marvel's Thunderbolts. They discuss the challenges and creativity of composing music remotely, incorporating unique sounds that capture different universes. The trio reflects on the balance of personal expression and collaboration, plus their memorable encounters with food and music. Their distinctive approach embraces deeper, melancholic themes, moving beyond typical superhero tropes, and hints at exciting future projects that blend technology with artistry.

This week, Son Lux returns with Alternate Forms, the band's first new album since releasing its beloved score to the film Everything Everywhere All At Once. To mark the occasion, we're sharing an encore presentation of our interview with Son Lux frontman Ryan Lott about how the band managed to score one of the most awarded — and bonkers — films of all time.This interview originally ran on Feb. 20, 2023.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy