Bringing bold body horror to the big screen in mind-bending (and mind-melding) fashion, Michael Shanks' new film Together is now playing in theaters. Starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple who find themselves literally being pulled together while at a crossroads in their relationship, Together features a stellar soundtrack by composer Cornel Wilczek (Talk To Me, Bring Her Back), and with Lakeshore Records releasing Together—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on digital August 1st, Daily Dead caught up with Cornel in a new Q&A feature to discuss how he created the dynamic music of his nerve-shredding score, and we also have the exclusive track premiere of "Our First Dance" that you can listen to right now!
Below, you can read our full Q&A with Cornel and listen to the eerie distortion of "Our First Dance." To learn more about Together—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and other Lakeshore Records releases, be sure to visit:
Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for us, Cornel, and congratulations on your score for the new horror movie Together! How did you initially get involved as the composer for this film, and what attracted you to this story and made you want to help bring it to life on screen?
Cornel Wilczek: Thank you! It’s an awesome film. I was asked by the production to pitch, and my work on Talk to Me had put me on their radar. While Together ended up being a completely different kind of score, it was great to be invited in.
Body horror has been one of my favourite genres for a long time, so I was instantly intrigued. And once I read the script, an idea hit me straight away. I put that together, presented it to the team—and the rest, as they say, is history.
Together takes a very palpable look at a romantic relationship at a crucial crossroads, gradually becoming a body-morphing (and body-melding) tale of terror. How conscious were you of reflecting those very physical moments in your music for the soundtrack?
Cornel Wilczek: It’s such a strong theme and visual—it would’ve felt wrong not to reflect it in the score. In fact, some of those physical moments were the first scenes I wrote music for, because they had such great musical parallels.
At its core, the score is built around their romance. If you strip it all back, the main theme is basically a soppy love song. That became the raw material I bent, stretched, distorted, and reshaped throughout the film—mirroring those physical transformations. You’ve got elements courting each other, circling, slowly converging. There’s a playfulness, but also tension and release. The music evolves alongside them.
Did you communicate a lot with writer/director Michael Shanks as you were composing the music for Together?
Cornel Wilczek: Absolutely. Michael’s a genius—his knowledge of film and tone is next-level. We had plenty of conversations and met up regularly throughout the process, but funnily enough, the first drafts of the score barely changed. He had such a clear vision, and I connected with it right away.
He shared a lot about his influences early on, which helped me quickly understand his aesthetic. Honestly, the scribbled notes I made after first reading the script ended up forming the backbone of the final score. The script was that strong—clear, layered, and emotionally on point.
What types of instruments, sounds, and technology did you utilize for this score?
Cornel Wilczek: The core elements were voice, guitar, synth, and strings. I recorded a lot of vocals—mine and others—and then bent and stretched them into new textures. I built custom sample instruments in Kontakt that let me manipulate those sounds in a very fluid, gestural way to match the action.
A lot of the vocal and guitar material was then run through hardware—mostly guitar pedals—and played loudly through a metal box filled with springs. I recorded that with contact mics to capture the wild resonance. That whole process helped create a sense of sympathetic resonance, where certain elements vibrate in response to each other—an idea that became a big part of the score’s emotional language.
You worked with frequent collaborator Alex Olijnyk on multiple tracks for this soundtrack. What do you enjoy the most about working with Alex to create key tracks for film scores?
Cornel Wilczek: Alex is a genius, and her aesthetic is really aligned with mine. Working with her feels like having two heads—and for Together, that felt especially fitting.
She also has a beautiful voice, and funnily enough, our voices blend strangely well. There are moments in the film where you’re hearing these warped, manipulated vocals—and underneath it all, it’s the two of us, duetting in a very weird, wonderful way.
Do you have a favorite musical moment that you created for Together?
Cornel Wilczek: There are so many, but one that stands out is the cave atmosphere. It’s a more understated moment, but I love the texture. A lot of it came from my own voice, creating strange drones that were then run through that metal spring box I mentioned earlier. Even slight vocal variations triggered wild, unpredictable changes in the resonance—it created this eerie, shifting sound that felt alive.
Were you influenced or inspired by any other musicians or films scores while working on the music for Together?
Cornel Wilczek: I watched The Thing a number of times—that was the main reference early on. But like most projects, the score eventually found its own life and evolved into something unique.
Ultimately, what do you hope listeners take away from the Together soundtrack?
Cornel Wilczek: I hope it brings the film rushing back to them every time they hear it. I spent a lot of time world-building, and my aim was to tie the music so closely to the story that when someone listens, they’re instantly back with Tim and Millie—reliving it, for better or worse.
In addition to Together, you’ve also composed the music for the films Talk to Me and Bring Her Back from directors Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou. What has it been like to work with the Philippous on their cinematic nightmares, and do you hope to continue collaborating with them on their future films?
Cornel Wilczek: Talk to Me was an absolute joy—but also a total pressure cooker. The entire score, including recording and mixing, was done in under three weeks. When you’re working that fast, there’s no time to overthink—you just trust your instincts and go. That gave the score a raw cohesion and an energy I really loved.
Bring Her Back was a very different experience. Being a follow-up to such a hit, there was naturally more pressure and a lot more nervous energy from all sides. I had less freedom, and the score feels a bit less like me. That said, I’d absolutely love to work like Talk To Me again (but with a bit more time!)
What advice would you give to composers who are just getting started?
Cornel Wilczek: Don’t sound like anyone else. Just dig deep and do your thing.
Lakeshore Records is releasing the Together soundtrack digitally on August 1st, giving horror fans the chance to listen to it on the road or in the comfort of their own homes. What are you the most excited for listeners to experience when they play it for the first time?
Cornel Wilczek: It’s a real sonic journey. I’d encourage listeners to find a quiet room, press play, and just go along for the ride—it’s designed to echo the arc of the film. There’s a lot of detail and dynamic range in there, and I’m especially excited for people to pick up on the quieter moments—little premonitions and clues that hint at the deeper mythology and where the story eventually goes.
With Together now playing in theaters, do you have any other projects coming up that you can tease for our readers?
Cornel Wilczek: Yes... But alas, I can’t talk about it right now. But next off the ranks is a very exciting horror film that feels very different to anything I can think of right now.
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Press Release: Lakeshore Records is set to release Together—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally August 1 with music by award-winning Melbourne-based composer Cornel Wilczek (Talk To Me). Wilczek’s original music pushes the boundaries of the horror film score with unique vocalizations and instrumentation that are sublimely atmospheric as well as intensely nightmarish. Together is now playing in theaters in wide release.
Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie (Dave Franco and Alison Brie) find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.
Notes Wilczek: “The score for ‘Together’ is a playful act of misdirection—initially familiar, it swiftly shifts into something entirely unexpected. Built around atmospheric textures created through sympathetic resonance, it dynamically mirrors the story’s push-and-pull of separation and unity, mixing twisted romanticism with cathartic noise and tongue-in-cheek orchestral flourishes.”
Buy/Stream the Album: https://lnk.to/Together-ost
Track List
01. The Missing Hikers - Cornel Wilczek
02. Rat King - Cornel Wilczek
03. The Ultimate Intimacy In Divine Flesh - Cornel Wilczek
04. Mildew or Something? - Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk
05. A Fucking Three-Legged-Race - Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk
06. Dumb City-Folk Who Went Against Nature and Lost - Cornel Wilczek
07. A Great Thirst - Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk
08. 23 Likes - Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk
09. Together with Tim - Cornel Wilczek
10. Thirsty All Over, A Love Song - Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk
11. It Was Like a Window Opened Between Our House and That Night - Cornel Wilczek
12. The Beginning of Something Wonderful! - Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk
13. It Feels...Crowded - Cornel Wilczek
14. I JUST SAW’D THROUGH OUR FUCKING ARMS! - Cornel Wilczek
15. MUSCLE RELAXANT! - Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk
16. By The Way, I’m Sorry I Didn’t Believe You, You Were Right, Obviously - Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk
17. Together with Millie - Cornel Wilczek
18. Our First Dance - Cornel Wilczek
ABOUT CORNEL WILCZEK
Cornel Wilczek is a three-time AACTA Award (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) -winning screen composer and music producer based in Melbourne, Australia. Across fifteen feature films, sixteen television series, and over thirty albums for artists around the world (plus four critically acclaimed solo records of his own), Cornel has built a career on range, craft, and a restless curiosity for sound.
His recent film work includes A24’s horror hits Bring Her Back and Talk To Me, Michael Shanks’ upcoming Together (Neon), Destry Spielberg’s Please Don’t Feed The Children, Netflix’s Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, and Amazon’s Burning. On the TV side, he’s scored Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar and The Survivors, international hit Clickbait, the AACTA-winning The Newsreader (ABC), Stateless, Glitch, and the 2023 fantasy series Crazy Fun Park.
Originally from Adelaide, Cornel moved to Melbourne in 2000 to study under Philip Brophy and Philip Samartzis at RMIT, eventually founding Electric Dreams Studio—a boutique South Melbourne facility that’s grown into one of Australia’s most awarded music houses.
Driven by experimentation and a relentless desire to explore new musical territories, Cornel blends lush acoustic arrangements with homemade electronics to create scores that are as inventive as they are cinematic.
ABOUT LAKESHORE RECORDS:
Lakeshore Records is a GRAMMY-winning record label, and the soundtrack arm of the Cutting Edge Group. Lakeshore Records is the global independent leader in top line soundtrack album releases, including such popular, critically acclaimed and classic soundtracks as Bridgerton, Stranger Things, Wednesday, Fallout, John Wick, Whiplash, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Drive, Cyberpunk 2077 / Edgerunners, Star Trek: Picard, Bojack Horseman, The Walking Dead, Napoleon Dynamite, Red Dead Redemption 2, the Grammy-winning Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok, the Academy Award nominated Lady Bird and Academy Award winners Moonlight, Little Miss Sunshine, American Factory, If Beale Street Could Talk, The Hurt Locker and many, many more.
For more information, contact: www.lakeshorerecords.com
Read Lakeshore’s blog Soundtracks, Scores And More here: https://soundtracksscoresandmore.com
Exclusive Track Premiere of "Our First Dance":
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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