Daniel Lopatin’s ‘Marty Supreme’ Soundtrack: A Retro-Futurist Fever Dream
Daniel Lopatin’s ‘Marty Supreme’ Soundtrack: A Retro-Futurist Fever Dream
When Daniel Lopatin (better known to the experimental electronic world as Oneohtrix Point Never) joins forces with Josh Safdie, the result is rarely just a "background score." It’s a physical presence—a thrumming, anxious, and deeply immersive sonic environment that acts as the heartbeat of the film.
Following their legendary collaborations on Good Time (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019), Lopatin has returned for Safdie’s first solo directorial effort: Marty Supreme (2025). Starring Timothée Chalamet as the frantic, obsessive table tennis prodigy Marty Mauser, the film is an all-gas, no-brakes character study set in the 1950s. However, if you were expecting a score of period-accurate jazz or doo-wop, you haven't been paying attention to the Safdie-Lopatin playbook.
The Sound of Anachronism: 1950s Meet the 1980s
The most striking thing about the Marty Supreme (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is its deliberate refusal to stay in its own time period. While the film is visually rooted in the mid-century grit of New York City, Lopatin’s score is a swirling vortex of 1980s synthesizers, erratic arpeggios, and synthesized choral voices.
In recent interviews, Lopatin revealed that he and Josh Safdie decided to make the music "malleable and gelatinous," ignoring historical fidelity in favor of emotional truth. The score channels the paranoid, foggy vibes of The X-Files and The Twilight Zone, creating a sense of "future-nostalgia" that mirrors Marty Mauser’s own belief that he is a man ahead of his time.
Key Sonic Elements:
The Fairlight & Synclavier: Lopatin utilized these foundational 80s pop instruments to create "zinging" harps and digital textures that feel both alien and oddly familiar.
Percussive Flights: To mimic the "ricochet" of a ping-pong ball, many tracks feature dizzying, high-tempo rhythms that keep the audience in a state of perpetual motion.
Vocal Textures: The score features background vocals from Weyes Blood, adding a ghostly, ethereal layer to the more grounded electronic tracks.
Tracklist: Marty Supreme (Official Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Released via A24 Music on Christmas Day, 2025, the album features 23 tracks that chronicle Marty’s descent from a street-level hustler to a global phenomenon.
| Track # | Title | Vibe |
| 01 | The Call | Suspenseful, synth-heavy intro. |
| 02 | Marty’s Dream | Dreamy, aquatic pads similar to Lopatin's Tranquilizer album. |
| 03 | Endo’s Game | High-intensity, "sports-movie" energy. |
| 05 | Pure Joy | A rare moment of melodic warmth. |
| 11 | Fing Mensch* | Erratic, anxiety-driven percussive stabs. |
| 19 | I Love You, Tokyo | Cinematic, lush layering with synthesized choirs. |
| 22 | Force of Life | The grand, sweeping finale. |
The "Needle Drops": Complementing the Score
Beyond Lopatin’s original compositions, the Marty Supreme soundtrack is famous for its semi-ironic use of 1980s power anthems. The film opens and closes with Tears for Fears ("Change" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"), creating a productive clash with the 1950s imagery. Other notable needle drops include:
Peter Gabriel – "I Have the Touch"
New Order – "The Perfect Kiss"
Public Image Ltd. – "The Order of Death"
These tracks aren't just background noise; they serve as a testament to Marty’s volatile ambition. He isn't just a ping-pong player; he’s a "sociopath-screwball" dreamer who views the world through the lens of a blockbuster that hasn't been filmed yet.
A Double Feature for OPN Fans
The release of the Marty Supreme score coincides with Lopatin’s latest solo studio album as Oneohtrix Point Never, titled Tranquilizer.
While Marty Supreme is frantic and hurried, Tranquilizer is described as a "subdued companion piece," utilizing 90s sample CDs and crystalline synth glimmers to explore themes of impermanence. For fans of Lopatin, the two releases offer a fascinating look at a composer operating at the absolute peak of his powers, moving seamlessly between the "feral spirit" of cinema and the "process-oriented" world of experimental electronic music.
"I was intoxicated with the character to a degree that I could feel myself in him. It made it very easy to work on... it hit me hard." — Daniel Lopatin on Marty Mauser
Final Verdict
The Marty Supreme soundtrack is Daniel Lopatin’s grandest and most emotionally coherent score to date. It breaks the linearity of traditional film music, embracing erratic tempos that make it just as thrilling to listen to on a late-night drive as it is while watching Chalamet’s whiplash-inducing performance on screen.
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