You don’t have to wait until Lakeshore Records’ Friday release to experience Humans’ truly exceptional score for “zom-com” Dead Shack. Today, Vehlinggo premieres a substantial, 17-minute score teaser mix by Peter Ricq, Dead Shack director and one-half of Humans. (Animation by Mike Newton.)
Earlier this week, it was announced that global festival circuit darling and zombie dramedy Dead Shack would premiere on Feb. 15 to wider audiences in the US and UK via horror streaming service Shudder. That move opens the door for Lakeshore to release the Dead Shack (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) in digital and cassette forms, along with the Dead Shack (Music from the Original Motion Picture) EP that Vehlinggo has previously covered.
Canadians Ricq and Robbie Slade, the other half of Humans, have made a name for themselves with their big and heavy, indie-electro-pop compositions, such as 2015’s Noontide. Using a finely cultivated blend of synthesizers and instruments, their sound is novel and not tied down to any one genre. (Humans just released a new EP entitled The Feels late last month.)
For Dead Shack, their musical concoctions are haunting and evocative, arp-tinged but symphonic and rhythmic, like Kyle Dixon’s and Michael Stein’s Stranger Things score meets the Basement Jaxx and Steven Price soundtrack to 2011’s Attack the Block.
Cassettes and Fan Remix Opportunities
A couple fun things about the Friday release of the two Dead Shack collections. For starters, cassette fans are in for a treat. Check out the tape presentation below, featuring art by Ricq (a true Renaissance Man.)
Secondly, fans who have an interest in remixing will have the opportunity to download stems for “Do For Me,” Humans’ vocal collaboration with Dear Rouge that features on the EP. (Note: The EP has been on Lakeshore’s Bandcamp since October, but is now getting a wider digital release.)
Zombies Are My Neighbors
Ricq’s film, Dead Shack, has a cool premise: While staying at a run-down cabin in the woods during the weekend, three children must save their parents from the neighbor who intends to feed them to her undead family. Or, as Slashfilm‘s Matt Donato put it, the plot is “like if that retro Zombies Ate My Neighbors SNES game was adapted, except one of the neighbors is insane and still caring for her zombie family…”
Tracklists
As mentioned earlier, you can currently purchase the Dead Shack EP on Lakeshore Records’ Bandcamp page, where you will also be able to buy the full score and cassette on Friday. Also on Friday, both releases will be available on all of the obvious digital platforms. Below are their tracklists.
Dead Shack (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Humans
01. Dead Shack
02. The Run
03. Lisa Undead
04. The Battle
05. Creepy Kids
06. Kids Gear Up
07. Hope
08. Neighbor’s Payback
09. Neighbor Gear Up
10. Take My Knife
11. The Living
12. You Lied To Me
13. Wander
14. Combat
15. It Follows
16. Going Home
Dead Shack (Music from The Original Motion Picture) by Humans
01. Do For Me (feat. Dear Rouge)
02. Here For You (feat. Phoenix Laurén)
03. Got Dumped Don’t Care
04. French Riviera
05. The Split
06. The Dead
07. It Follows Again
