With yesterday’s announcement of the Academy Awards nominations, the buzz around Alfonso Cuarón’s stunning opus Roma continues to soar. Music plays an essential part of the world-building in Roma, creating a meticulously accurate portrait of 1970s Mexico City. An official soundtrack featuring songs from greats like Juan Gabriel and Leo Dán was released in December 2018, but a new musical project with roots in the film is bound to keep the momentum around the Netflix production going.
Music Inspired by the Film ROMA is a 15-track project of original songs and covers inspired by the Cuarón film, separate from the official soundtrack released last year. Rolling Stone writes that the collection of tracks was curated by Cuarón himself, and as Pitchfork reports, and it features musical heavyweights from both the English- and Spanish-speaking worlds. Beck and budding teen pop star Billie Eilish arleady released their songs for the album earlier this month; the former covered a song by Colourbox called “Tarantula,” while Billie Eilish released an original composition titled “When I Was Older.” The list of Latinx contributors is even more exciting, including French-Cuban duo Ibeyi, Canadian pop singer Jessie Reyez, Café Tacvba’s Quique Rangel, and even Cuarón’s own daughter Bu.
Check the full tracklist and listen to Beck and Eilish’s songs below. The album is slated to drop February 8 on Sony Music Masterworks.
1. Ciudad de México: “Tepeji 21 (The Sounds of ROMA)”
2. Patti Smith: “Wing”
3. Beck: “Tarantula” (Colourbox cover)
4. Billie Eilish: “WHEN I WAS OLDER”
5. Bu Cuarón: “PSYCHO”
6. UNKLE: “On My Knees” [ft. Michael Kiwanuka]
7. Jessie Reyez: “Con El Viento”
8. El-P / Wilder Zoby: “Marooned”
9. Sonido Gallo Negro: “Cumbia del Borras”
10. Quique Rangel: “La Hora Exacta”
11. Ibeyi: “Cleo Who Takes Care of You”
12. DJ Shadow: “We Are Always Alone”
13. Asaf Avidan: “Between These Hands”
14. Laura Marling: “Those Were the Days” (Mary Hopkin cover)
15. T Bone Burnett: “ROMA”