"Borderlands" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Borderlands" Soundtrack Description

Questions and Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album?

Yes. Borderlands (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Steve Jablonsky was released on August 9, 2024 by Milan Records (Sony Music). It contains the original score (24 tracks, ~61 min).

Who composed the score for the movie?

Steve Jablonsky composed the film’s score after replacing Nathan Barr during post-production.

Are there licensed songs in the movie besides the score?

Yes. Notable needle-drops include Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole,” Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades,” The Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now,” Chaka Khan’s “Like Sugar,” The Black Keys’ “Shine a Little Light,” and others.

Does the official album include the licensed songs?

No—the official album is the score only. The licensed tracks are heard in the film but are not on the Jablonsky score album.

What song opens the movie?

Audience reports and music outlets identify Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” as the opening needle-drop.

What song underscores one of the big fight sequences?

Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” is used in an action beat involving bandits (fans cite the Bloodshots fight).

Notes & Trivia

• Jablonsky’s score album arrived day-and-date with the U.S. theatrical release (Aug 9, 2024) and is distributed by Milan Records under Sony Music. (as stated in Apple Music’s listing)
• Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” kicks off the movie—an eyebrow-raising choice that nods to the track’s pop-culture baggage from Twilight. (according to NME magazine and fan screening reports)
• “Ace of Spades” by Motörhead fuels a bandit beat-’em-up—pure Borderlands energy.
• Additional licensed cuts heard in on-screen credits include Chaka Khan’s “Like Sugar” and The Black Keys’ “Shine a Little Light.”
• The score track titles (“The Greatest Eridian Secret,” “Roland Finds Tiny Tina,” “Atlas Recruits Lilith”) mirror plot waypoints, useful for scene recall without spoiling twists.

Overview

What happens when a loot-shooter’s chaos meets a blockbuster’s need for cohesion? The Borderlands soundtrack answers with a two-front attack: Steve Jablonsky’s propulsive orchestral-meets-synth score to glue set-pieces together, and a handful of swaggering rock/funk cuts to spike adrenaline at key moments. The album itself is score-only; the songs live in the film’s mix like flashbangs—here, then gone, but impossible to miss.

Jablonsky writes clean, muscular motifs with bright, distorted edges—think low-brass grit, clockwork percussion, and synth pulses that feel welded from scrap. When the Vault Hunters banter, textures thin out; when Pandora erupts, cues slam into hybrid percussion. Then the movie flips the table with needle-drops (Muse, Motörhead, The Heavy), a tonal wink that says: yes, this is a comic shooter at heart. (as reported in the album notes and music press)

Genres & Themes

• Hybrid action score (orchestra + synth) → industrial menace for Pandora; ostinatos = pursuit; sub-bass swells = alien threat.
• Alt-rock and hard rock needle-drops → attitude, swagger, instant character read (bandits, boss fights, “we’re doing this” montages).
• Funk/disco touches → Chaka Khan’s “Like Sugar” flips chaos into party-mode during lighter beats; comic relief through groove.
• Blues-garage rock → The Black Keys’ “Shine a Little Light” gives grit-and-dust Americana to travel shots and credits vibes.

Tracks & Scenes

“Supermassive Black Hole” — Muse
Where it plays: Kicks off the film over the opening sequence, setting a pulsing, tongue-in-cheek tone; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Announces the movie’s loud, stylish register from frame one and primes the pace for the heist-on-Pandora vibe.

“Ace of Spades” — Motörhead
Where it plays: Blasts during a bandit beatdown (fans cite the Bloodshots fight), non-diegetic.
Why it matters: The franchise’s chaotic risk-taking distilled into one iconic riff—guns, grit, and grin.

“How You Like Me Now” — The Heavy
Where it plays: Used as a swagger cue during a victory/gear-up beat; non-diegetic placement noted in the film’s soundtrack credits.
Why it matters: Functionally a chest-thump; it matches Borderlands’ cocky, comic tone.

“Like Sugar” — Chaka Khan
Where it plays: Heard via on-screen credits usage; functions as a groove-reset between action spikes.
Why it matters: Injects glitter and bounce, letting the movie breathe without dropping energy.

“Shine a Little Light” — The Black Keys
Where it plays: Appears in the licensed-music roster credited on the film; often associated with end-sequence/credits energy in action films.
Why it matters: Sand-blasted guitar suits Pandora’s dust-and-steel palette.

“Cyberpunk” — Extra Terra
Where it plays: Licensed track noted in credits; electronic edge complements tech-heavy gags and gadget beats.
Why it matters: Bridges Jablonsky’s synth work with a club-leaning intensity.

“Taos Hum” — Dead Friends
Where it plays: Licensed in credits; used to color a transitional stretch.
Why it matters: Indie grit that sketches the world’s off-kilter rhythm.

Score cues: “The Greatest Eridian Secret,” “Roland Finds Tiny Tina,” “Atlas Recruits Lilith,” “Pandora,” “Fyrestone” — Steve Jablonsky
Where it plays: Plot-tethered cues across recruitment beats, road travel, and vault-myth moments; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: These tracks act like mission headers; even the titles read like quest cards. (according to Apple Music’s track list)

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats as connected to songs)

• Opening with Muse immediately frames Lilith’s return as kinetic and mischievous—less grimdark, more shoot-and-smirk.
• Motörhead cues a “boss-fight” feeling; when the guitars drop, the audience subconsciously expects reckless plays and crit hits.
• Recruitment cues (“Roland Finds Tiny Tina,” “Atlas Recruits Lilith”) thread a team-up structure; every new ally gets a musical stamp so the ensemble never feels shapeless.
• Funk and garage-rock drops (“Like Sugar,” “Shine a Little Light”) lighten tone right before the movie throws another grenade—classic tension-release-tension rhythm.

How It Was Made (supervision, score, behind-the-scenes)

Composer change-up: Steve Jablonsky ultimately scored the film, stepping in after Nathan Barr was initially attached. The final score album—24 cues—landed via Milan Records (Sony Music) to coincide with release. Track titles map cleanly to story beats, from Eridian lore to recruit-’em-all sequences.

Licensed music curation aims squarely at swagger: Muse for the cold open, Motörhead for fists-to-faces mayhem, and high-energy cuts by The Heavy, Chaka Khan, and The Black Keys that mesh with the series’ comic bravado. (as reported by industry listings and NME’s roundup)

Reception & Quotes

While the film drew mixed-to-negative notices, the music conversation singled out the opening Muse needle-drop and the punchy Motörhead placement as on-brand choices. The score album itself found an audience among game-score and action-score fans thanks to Jablonsky’s polished hybrid sound.

“The licensed tracks do the heavy lifting on attitude; Jablonsky’s cues keep the chassis from rattling apart.” summary of music-press commentary

“A big, glossy action score with just enough sand in the gears to feel like Pandora.” album-listener consensus

Technical Info

• Title: Borderlands (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year / Type: 2024 / movie
• Composer: Steve Jablonsky
• Label: Milan Records (Sony Music) — under license from Summit Entertainment
• Album contents: Original score only (24 tracks; ~61 minutes). Licensed songs are not on the album.
• Notable licensed tracks in film: Muse — “Supermassive Black Hole”; Motörhead — “Ace of Spades”; The Heavy — “How You Like Me Now”; Chaka Khan — “Like Sugar”; The Black Keys — “Shine a Little Light”; Extra Terra — “Cyberpunk”; Dead Friends — “Taos Hum”.
• Release context: U.S. theatrical release August 9, 2024; soundtrack album released the same day, available on major streaming platforms.
• Trailer ID (for reference): lU_NKNZljoQ (Lionsgate).

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Wikipedia (Borderlands film page); Apple Music album listing; Spotify album listing; NME (song roundup); Soundtrakd song list; JH Wiki Collection credits page; Reddit fan reports; YouTube official trailers.

October, 25th 2025