Jim Jarmusch has always been a director who hears his movies before he sees them. If you’ve watched his 2013 vampire masterpiece, you know exactly what I mean. The Only Lovers Left Alive soundtrack isn't just a collection of songs used to fill the silence between Adam and Eve’s weary, centuries-old dialogue. It is the blood of the film. It's thick, slow, and vibrates with a low-frequency hum that feels like it’s coming from the center of the earth. Honestly, calling it a "soundtrack" feels a bit reductive. It’s more of a sonic environment.
Adam, played by Tom Hiddleston, is an "underground" musician in the most literal sense. He lives in a decaying mansion in Detroit, surrounded by vintage Gibson guitars, tube amps, and recording equipment that looks like it belongs in a museum. He’s a snob. He’s a genius. He’s suicidal. And the music he creates—which is actually the work of Jarmusch’s own band, SQÜRL, in collaboration with Dutch lutenist Jozef van Wissem—perfectly captures that specific brand of immortal exhaustion.
It’s heavy. It’s psychedelic. It’s baroque.
The Unholy Marriage of SQÜRL and Jozef van Wissem
The backbone of this record is the interplay between fuzzy, distorted rock and the clean, mathematical precision of the lute. It sounds like it shouldn't work. On one hand, you have SQÜRL (comprising Jarmusch, Carter Logan, and Shane Stoneback) providing these massive walls of feedback. On the other, you have Van Wissem, an avant-garde composer who treats the lute like a holy relic.
When they come together on a track like "The Taste of Blood," the result is hypnotic. It’s a slow-motion dirge. The lute provides a repetitive, cyclic melody that feels ancient, while the electric guitar swells around it like a rising tide. This contrast is the heart of the Only Lovers Left Alive soundtrack. It mirrors the characters: Eve (Tilda Swinton) is the light, the ancient, the resilient; Adam is the dark, the modern (despite his love for old gear), and the fragile.
Van Wissem actually won the Cannes Soundtrack Award in 2013 for this score, and it’s easy to see why. He didn't just write background music. He wrote the internal monologue of a man who has lived for five hundred years and is tired of everyone else’s "zombie" nonsense.
Why the Lute?
You might wonder why a vampire in a leather jacket would care about a 17th-century instrument. Van Wissem has talked about how the lute was the "rock star" instrument of its day. By bringing it into a drone-rock context, Jarmusch and Van Wissem are basically collapsing time. They're saying that the vibrations of a string haven't changed in half a millennium, even if the amplification has. It’s a very "Adam" way of looking at the world.
That Incredible Detroit Connection
You can't talk about this music without talking about Detroit. The city is a character in the film, a sprawling, empty ghost of industrialism. The music reflects that decay. It’s grainy. It’s got dirt under its fingernails.
✨ Don't miss: Why La Mera Mera Radio is Actually Dominating Local Airwaves Right Now
While the score is mostly instrumental, the curated tracks—the ones Adam listens to on his vintage turntable—are just as vital. Take "Funnel of Love" by Wanda Jackson. Jarmusch doesn't just play the song; he uses a slowed-down, reverb-drenched version that makes the 1961 rockabilly classic sound like it’s being played underwater. It sets the tone for the entire movie in the first three minutes. As the camera spins over Adam and Eve in their respective cities (Detroit and Tangier), the music spins with them. It’s dizzying. It’s perfect.
Then there’s the soul influence.
The soundtrack includes "Trapped by a Thing Called Love" by Denise LaSalle. It’s a reminder that while Adam is a moody recluse, he still appreciates the grit and groove of the city he’s chosen to haunt. Detroit’s musical history is built on soul and garage rock, and the Only Lovers Left Alive soundtrack pays its respects without being cheesy about it.
The Tangier Sessions and Lebanese Psych-Rock
When the action shifts to Tangier, the music shifts too. But it doesn't fall into the trap of "world music" clichés. Instead, we get Yasmine Hamdan.
In one of the film's best scenes, Adam and Eve go to a small club and watch Hamdan perform "Hal." She’s incredible. The song is a blend of traditional Arabic vocal styles and modern electronic production. Adam watches her, mesmerized, and says, "I'm sure she'll be famous." Eve’s response? "I hope not. She's too good for that."
That line is the ethos of the whole soundtrack. It’s music for people who think most modern music is trash. It’s for the elitists, the vinyl collectors, and the people who still believe that a certain chord progression can save your soul.
Breaking Down the Tracklist
The album isn't long, but it’s dense. You have tracks like:
🔗 Read more: Why Love Island Season 7 Episode 23 Still Feels Like a Fever Dream
- Streets of Tangier: A haunting, percussive piece that feels like walking through a labyrinth at 3:00 AM.
- Our Hearts Condemn Us: A solo lute piece by Van Wissem that is so quiet and intimate it feels like you're eavesdropping on a prayer.
- In Every Dream Home a Heartache: This Roxy Music cover isn't on the official score album but looms large over the aesthetic.
The Gear Behind the Ghostly Sound
Adam’s obsession with gear is Jarmusch’s obsession. To get the specific sound of the Only Lovers Left Alive soundtrack, SQÜRL didn't just use digital plugins. They used real, vibrating air.
If you're a guitar nerd, this movie is basically porn. You see Adam tinkering with a 1905 Gibson L-1, various Supro amps, and old Gretsch guitars. The sound of the soundtrack is the sound of vacuum tubes warming up. It’s the sound of analog tape hiss.
When SQÜRL records, they often use a lot of "found sound" and feedback loops. They play with the physical properties of the instruments. In "Sola Gratia," for instance, the feedback isn't just noise; it’s a melodic choice. It’s controlled chaos. This gives the album a tactile quality. You can almost feel the dust on the records and the heat coming off the amplifiers.
Why it Resonates Years Later
Usually, movie soundtracks have a shelf life. They’re tied to the visuals, and once the hype of the film dies down, the music fades. But this record has become a cult classic in its own right. Why?
Because it’s a mood.
In a world of hyper-fast TikTok songs and over-produced pop, the Only Lovers Left Alive soundtrack is an invitation to slow down. It’s 15 minutes of a single drone. It’s a lute melody that repeats until it becomes a mantra. It’s unapologetically "cool" in a way that feels earned rather than manufactured.
It also tapped into a growing interest in "doom folk" and "dark ambient" music. Before this movie, Jozef van Wissem was a niche artist playing small galleries. After this, he became a figurehead for a certain kind of atmospheric, intellectual music. The soundtrack bridged the gap between the experimental underground and the mainstream indie crowd.
💡 You might also like: When Was Kai Cenat Born? What You Didn't Know About His Early Life
Debunking the "Goth" Label
A lot of people want to call this a "goth" soundtrack. I get it. Vampires, black clothes, dark rooms. But that’s a bit of a lazy take.
Honestly, it’s more "Stoner Rock" than Goth. It’s more Earth or Sunn O))) than The Cure. It’s about the weight of the sound, not just the moodiness. It’s about the resonance of a low E string. If you listen closely, there’s actually a lot of warmth in these recordings. "Diamond Star" has a shimmering, ethereal quality that isn't depressing at all. It’s beautiful. It’s the sound of someone who has seen everything and still finds something worth listening to.
Finding the Music Today
If you’re looking to grab this on vinyl—which is how Adam would insist you hear it—good luck. The original pressings on ATP Recordings or Sacred Bones are highly sought after. They usually come in beautiful gatefold sleeves with artwork that mimics the film’s rich, tactile cinematography.
But even if you’re just streaming it, you need to listen to it as a whole. Don't shuffle it. It’s designed to take you on a journey from the crumbling streets of Detroit to the ancient alleys of Tangier. It’s a narrative in its own right.
Key Takeaways for the Listener
- Don't rush it. This is music that requires patience. Let the drones build.
- Watch the movie first. Seeing how the music fits into the physical space of Adam’s house changes how you hear the reverb.
- Check out the solo work. If you like the lute, dive into Jozef van Wissem’s catalog, specifically It Is Done Without Delay. If you like the fuzz, check out SQÜRL’s EP #1 and #2.
Practical Next Steps for the Soundtrack Obsessed
If this specific brand of fuzzy, hypnotic drone has pulled you in, you shouldn't stop at the end of the credits. The Only Lovers Left Alive soundtrack is a gateway drug to a whole world of atmospheric music.
Start by exploring the influences. Look into the late 60s/early 70s psychedelic scene in the Middle East—bands like Erkin Koray or Altın Gün (though they are newer, they capture that vibe). Their use of microtonal melodies and heavy fuzz is exactly what Jarmusch was channeling in the Tangier scenes.
Upgrade your listening setup. This soundtrack is the ultimate "test" for a good pair of headphones or speakers. If your setup can't handle the low-end rumble of "The Taste of Blood" without distorting in a bad way, you're missing half the experience. You want to hear the wood of the lute and the electricity in the amp.
Follow the collaborators. Jozef van Wissem continues to tour and release hauntingly beautiful lute music. SQÜRL is still active, recently scoring the silent film Man Ray. Keeping an eye on their new projects is the best way to find that same "immortal" energy that made the 2013 film so iconic.
Finally, if you’re a musician, try slowing down. Adam’s "secret" was that he didn't care about the trends of the "zombies." He cared about the vibration. Take a simple melody, add a bit too much reverb, and let it breathe. That’s the legacy of this music: it proves that even in a world that’s falling apart, you can still make something that sounds like it will last forever.