The new Star Wars soundtrack is as bumpin' as ever

Hey, Mr. D.J. – do you have 'Canto Bight?'
 By 
Proma Khosla
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Welcome to the latest in Mashable's "Club Bangers" series, in which we (I) break down extremely lit albums (film and television scores) to bring you the greatest hits of the big and small screens.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is one of the best-reviewed Star Wars movies to date, currently captivating fans around the world with its release. On the same day, we got John Williams' full cinematic score, and if the movie is anywhere near the album, you're in for a treat.

Instead of going in order, let's begin with what might be the most arresting piece on this soundtrack: "The Spark." It doesn't sound like most other Star Wars music with heavy horns and sharp orchestration. It uses a bit of the old "The Force Theme" before easing into a warm string melody. Before you can even wonder which ship sails during that swell, there's a heart-wrenching snippet of "Han Solo and the Princess" from Empire Strikes Back, cut off by the sinister twist on the main titles that we've been hearing in those trailers. Listen multiple times, and closely.

As with any John Williams score, you get shades of his other work; flashes of Harry Potter and Home Alone in the robust horn melodies throughout. This time around, Williams opts mostly for original arrangements and themes; you won't hear much of the Star Wars main title or Force theme beyond a few mentioned here, and you won't hear Rey's theme at all until the end credits ("Finale").

"Ahch-To Island" is a whole soundtrack unto itself as the introduction to a new world and the new relationship between old man Luke and Force wunderkind Rey. It introduces an entirely new theme – is this Luke's new disillusion? Is this Rey learning more about her identity? Is it the tension between them as they try to compromise over the Force?

Though at first it seems like an ode to the Dark Side, "The Supremacy" is equally evocative of the light. Its themes get repackaged more playfully in "Fun with Finn and Rose," but there's a dangerous undercurrent to both that hints at more than just adventure. The new theme in both of them was introduced in the last moments of The Force Awakens when Rey meets Luke on Ahch-To.

"Canto Bight" is a shameless attempt at a new "Cantina Band" and I am HERE FOR IT. It opens like any other cinematic score piece and then in comes the tambourine and the freaking mariachi. The cute calypso swings seamlessly into a jazz section for the ending, so it ends up being more like three pieces in one.

"Chrome Dome" begins innocuously enough, but the soft intro quickly gives way to a more urgent sound (it's one of a few tracks that evoke "Duel of the Fates" from The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith). At the 1:20 minute mark, it goes in with a thudding drum beat. Big drum beats don't come up in movie scores very often, and "The Imperial March" remains one of the most famous uses of them.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now in theaters, and you can listen to or purchase the soundtrack on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and more.

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Proma Khosla

Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.

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