Cold in July
Released by Milan Records, 2014
16 Tracks with a total running time of 57 min.
Music by Jeff Grace

I listen to a lot of soundtracks. Usually the ones I get to review are good, working really well in the film. But as a stand alone piece of music, most of them lately have felt a little flat. It has been quite a while since I’ve been watching a movie when the score is so strong that I immediately think “Damn…this score is amazing!” Well, it happened with Cold in July. And even stranger, I had forgotten who had worked on this movie, so when I found out the composer was Jeff Grace, it made a lot more sense. You’ll find several of Grace’s works here in our review section, mainly because I’m always impressed with what he creates for the features. No matter the time of film or the content, he always comes through with a great score. Even when the movie itself might not be that great…such as Ti West’s TRIGGER MAN, Grace still created an amazing score.

But let’s talk about this one for Cold in July. Had I been watching this film 20 years ago, I would have sworn that John Carpenter had composed the music. In fact, I would have bet money on it. Now this is not to take any credit away from Grace, but saying that he’s done an incredible job capturing the feel and sound of those early classic Carpenter themes. Not only do they blend so well into the movie, helping creating the tension and suspense, but even listening to it by itself a real joy. It is almost like stepping into an audio time machine. If we had heard this last year, it would have been at the top of my Best Of list for soundtracks. Yes….I think it is that good (as well as the movie too). Using an electronic medium, repetitive notes and themes, he creates an extraordinary soundtrack here, creating a tension and suspense filled score that just oozes mood and atmosphere.

If you are a fan of Grace’s work, then you might already have this or plan on picking it up. But if you’re a fan of the electronic synth scores that Carpenter created back in the ’80s, then you are also going to want to get this one. You’ll love it.