"Hollars" Soundtrack Lyrics

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"The Hollars (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" Soundtrack Description

Overview

How do you score a family dramedy about returning home without drowning it in sentiment? The Hollars splits the difference: a modest, acoustic-forward score by songwriter Josh Ritter and well-placed indie/Americana tracks that sound like coffeehouse confessions. The music keeps the film’s humor intact while giving the hard moments room to breathe.

Lakeshore Records issued a compact, 11-track album featuring Ritter’s instrumental takes on his own songs alongside licensed cuts by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (“Man on Fire”), The Head and the Heart (“Another Story”), Indigo Girls (“Closer to Fine”), and Billy Bragg & Wilco (“Airline to Heaven”). Apple Music lists the release as September 9, 2016; industry notices confirmed Ritter as the film’s composer. Wikipedia also credits Ritter as “Music,” reflecting the hybrid score/songs approach typical for an intimate indie.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score?

Josh Ritter composed original music; the album includes several instrumental versions of his songs (“Bonfire,” “The Curse,” “Thin Blue Flame,” “Folk Bloodbath”).

What label released the soundtrack and when?

Lakeshore Records released it digitally on September 9, 2016, with a short physical run following.

Is the album mostly score or songs?

Both: roughly half Ritter instrumentals, half licensed singer-songwriter/indie tracks curated to match the film’s tone.

Do on-screen songs extend beyond the album?

A few placements circulate on cue lists and playlists, but the official 11-track release covers the key moments.

Does anyone in the cast sing in the film?

There’s a brief, in-scene singalong fragment noted in soundtrack credits; otherwise, songs are non-diegetic.

Where did the music chart?

No major chart run was reported; this one’s about fit-to-picture rather than singles.

Notes & Trivia

• Ritter’s appointment as composer was announced prior to Sundance; he built the score around “quietly resilient” motifs.
• The Lakeshore album is concise: 11 tracks, ~28 minutes—unusual restraint for a modern soundtrack.
• Two marquee indie acts—The Head and the Heart and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros—bookend emotional pivots.
• “Closer to Fine” by Indigo Girls adds a generational echo to the family dynamic.

Genres & Themes

Acoustic score miniatures. Fingerpicked guitars, light piano, and soft percussion underline conversations and hospital beats without pushing tears.

Indie-folk anthems. The Head and the Heart’s harmony lift and Edward Sharpe’s slow-build catharsis mark chapter turns—hope, doubt, acceptance.

Alt-country/Americana. The Billy Bragg & Wilco cut brings roots grit—faith, work, and reconciliation wrapped into one refrain.

Tracks & Scenes

Notes: placements summarize reliable listings and album notes; timestamps vary by release cut.

“Bonfire (Instrumental Version)” — Josh Ritter
Where it plays: Early visit-home sequence; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Sets the palette—gentle arpeggios before the family storms in.

“Man on Fire” — Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Where it plays: A midfilm montage when relationships are being tested; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: The slow-bloom build mirrors simmering, unspoken worries.

“The Curse (Instrumental Version)” — Josh Ritter
Where it plays: Quiet corridor/waiting-room beats; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A sigh more than a theme—space for actors to breathe.

“Another Story” — The Head and the Heart
Where it plays: Reflective cut as characters reconsider next steps; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Harmony as reset button—grief processed into motion.

“Girl in the War (Instrumental Version)” — Josh Ritter
Where it plays: Low-key bridge between scenes; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Familiar melody stripped to bones; tenderness without lyrics.

“Thin Blue Flame (Instrumental Version)” — Josh Ritter
Where it plays: Late-night hospital pacing; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A darker hue, signaling stakes without melodrama.

“Monster Ballads (Instrumental Version)” — Josh Ritter
Where it plays: Brief transitional moment; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A wink of levity in a heavy stretch.

“Closer to Fine” — Indigo Girls
Where it plays: Family-centered, low-volume source feel; non-diegetic excerpt with a brief in-scene echo.
Why it matters: Communal chords for a film about belonging.

“Best for the Best (Acoustic)” — Josh Ritter
Where it plays: Post-conflict reflection; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: Plainspoken lyricism; hard truths, soft touch.

“Folk Bloodbath (Instrumental Version)” — Josh Ritter
Where it plays: Penultimate transition; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A grave, steady tread toward decisions.

“Airline to Heaven” — Billy Bragg & Wilco
Where it plays: Closing stretch/credits; non-diegetic.
Why it matters: A hopeful coda—the film walks out with grace.

Music–Story Links

Ritter’s cues hold the camera still: they let characters speak first, then cushion the fallout. When the movie needs to break a stalemate, the licensed songs arrive with shoulders-back momentum (“Man on Fire,” “Another Story”). The Indigo Girls placement functions like borrowed family lore; the Wilco/Bragg closer reframes grief as work done together.

How It Was Made

Director John Krasinski tapped Josh Ritter for an understated score; Lakeshore Records assembled the album around those instrumentals and a small set of licensed tracks. Trade items flagged the digital release ahead of the film’s full rollout. The result is a tight listen that mirrors the film’s scale—no orchestral excess, just the right guitar voicings and familiar voices.

Reception & Quotes

Coverage consistently noted the “songwriter’s touch” in the score, and fans of the featured bands praised the needle-drops’ restraint.

“Ritter scoring The Hollars makes instant sense—melody-led cues that don’t elbow the drama.” Film Music Reporter

“A brief but well-curated Lakeshore release—11 tracks, no filler.” Apple Music listing

Additional Info

• Album: 11 tracks, ~28 minutes (digital).
• Key artists: Josh Ritter (score & one vocal), Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Head and the Heart, Indigo Girls, Billy Bragg & Wilco.
• Composer credit in film: Josh Ritter.
• Label: Lakeshore Records (digital first; limited CD later).
• Premiere: Sundance (Jan 24, 2016); U.S. release Aug 26, 2016.

Technical Info

• Title: The Hollars (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2016
• Type: Songs + original score
• Composer: Josh Ritter
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• Selected placements: “Man on Fire” (emotional montage), “Another Story” (reflective pivot), “Closer to Fine” (family-tinged moment), “Airline to Heaven” (closing feel), Ritter instrumentals (“Bonfire,” “The Curse,” “Thin Blue Flame,” “Folk Bloodbath”).

Canonical Entities & Relations

Subject	Relation	Object
The Hollars (film, 2016)	directed by	John Krasinski
The Hollars (film, 2016)	music by (score)	Josh Ritter
The Hollars (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)	record label	Lakeshore Records
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros	performed	“Man on Fire”
The Head and the Heart	performed	“Another Story”
Indigo Girls	performed	“Closer to Fine”
Billy Bragg & Wilco	performed	“Airline to Heaven”
Josh Ritter	performed	“Best for the Best (Acoustic)”

Sources: Apple Music; Lakeshore Records (press); Film Music Reporter; Wikipedia (film page).

Anna Kendrick and John Krasinski are the leading pair of actors here. In addition, there is also wonderful and fantastically beautiful girl Mary Elizabeth Winstead – she is a star of several serial movies to this moment and currently she stars in the main part in the ‘Braindead’ serial movie, which is pretty funny, you should see it. It is about politics and the space brain bugs. In this movie, she depicts a former love of the main hero acted by John Krasinski, who says he feels nothing towards her, but in fact, they passionately kiss just in several minutes of being at two. Here she also plays incredible hottie, who is eager to settle her private life. Will she manage to succeed in it? Let’s watch the movie to find out! ‘I like Rebecca – she is pushy. Men need to be pushed’ – this is very true cite from a movie. Behind every great man, there is always a woman, who directs him, who wraps him in love hugs and who loves this man because he managed to achieve something she wanted him to achieve. So, women build-up men and thus, they build the whole world around us, staying in the shadows, not officially shining in the society. What is interesting about this soundtrack – is its fill almost entirely with songs by one person – Josh Ritter (Wolves). We even may say this is his benefit. Indigo Girls are also pretty awesome (Closer To Fine), singing something fast, unlike Mr. Ritter. While other participants, The Head And The Heart with Winter Song aren’t particularly different from Josh Ritter’s lyrics with their own. The entire soundtrack is devoted to god, higher powers and searching for oneself. This again turns us to Mr. Ritter’s lyrics, as literally in every song he does that – searching and turning the listeners in the grief.

November, 10th 2025

The Hollars page on IMDB, Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes

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