Zhu and Joe Trapanese Explain How They Crafted the Dark, Propulsive Score for SXSW Film ‘He Bled Neon’
By Steven J. Horowitz
Published on March 16, 2026.
Director Drew Kirsch and producer Nate Bolotin knew they needed a dark, propulsive score for their film "He Bled Neon," which premieres at SXSW tonight. They enlisted Grammy-nominated musician Joe Trapanese and musician Zhu to create the score, which elevated the film's dark tone. The 25-song soundtrack serves as the backbone for the film and is unified by its instrumentation and atmospheric sounds. The film follows the story of Ethan (Joe Cole) as he returns to Las Vegas after learning his brother's death from an accidental overdose. The director, Kirsch, understood the importance of marrying the picture with the soundtrack from the start and made it an integral part of the development process.
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