A true Tindersticks fan will only welcome whatever’s next, but even by such open-armed standards was I dazzled by their soundtrack for Stars at Noon, the (give or take) 96th collaboration with Claire Denis. Like a bouncier, bongo-laden spin on their soul-shaking Intruder score, it induces the trance state we expect from this director while (frankly) sometimes superseding her film itself.
I’m accordingly delighted the soundtrack will release on October 14. Today it’s preceded by a title song—this and “Both Sides of the Blade” constitute a kind of Bond theme era, I suppose—that I’d count among their best in years: a perfect arrangement of Stuart Staples’ falsetto, horn accompaniment, and percussion, with each recurrence of the main lyrics a direct hit. The video is taken directly from Stars at Noon and, from its opening image of Margaret Qualley swaying solo to a tightly held dance with Joe Alwyn to a devastating final exchange, forms a perfect narrative of its own.
Watch below: