Daniel Lopatin : Marty Supreme Soundtrack

I was always kind of got bent out of shape when a period movie would use contemporary music for it’s soundtrack. Or even if it was a movie that took place in the 30s and they used music from the 60s or 70s just seemed off-putting to me. It distracted me from the movie itself. It’s probably more just a personality fault in me than anything else.

Well filmmaker Josh Safdie has returned(without brother Ben) after 2019s excellent and panic-inducing Uncut Gems with the incredible Marty Supreme. Easily one of the best films of the year, it’s the story of consummate dreamer and morally questionable Marty Mauser. He’s got dreams of being the best ping pong player in the world and could possibly achieve that goal, but this is a Safdie film so he’s constantly stumbling over his own schemes and big ideas.

The score, once again, is done by Daniel Lopatin(aka Oneohtrix Point Never). His work on Good Time and Uncut Gems felt like another character in the film, helping build momentum and tension in every scene. With Marty Supreme, instead of making a period-appropriate score(the film takes place in the 50s), Lopatin instead builds a buoyant, bouncing 80s-inspired score that pulls from the works of Tangerine Dream and Thomas Newman, relying heavily on synth-toned vibes. My old self would say it shouldn’t work, but it does. Quite beautifully.

The score Daniel Lopatin creates for Marty Supreme brings to mind the sound of Risky Business, Three O’Clock High, and early Hans Zimmer(True Romance). Opening piece “The Call” brings to mind Howard Jones in its shiny synth tones, adding an almost magical feel. “The Apple” has an almost new age feel to it, while “Holocaust Honey” is reminiscent of both Wendy Carlos and OPN’s excellent Age Of album. “The Scape” is frenetic and filled with a pulse-pounding tension. “The Real Game” bounces and echoes classic arpeggiated synth notes that feel like a heart rate rising that’s reminiscent of Michael Kamen’s work.

There’s something stunning about how Lopatin captures the frenetic, chaotic world of Marty Mauser. And it’s not the world itself that’s chaotic, but what Marty brings to it in every scene. He has a confidence about himself that’s so strong it can only lead to him blowing up his entire world, and Daniel Lopatin brings that in musical form.

Daniel Lopatin’s Marty Supreme Soundtrack is the best soundtrack of the year for one of the best films of 2025.