"Self Reliance" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Self Reliance (Original Score & Needle-Drops)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How do you soundtrack paranoia when the rule is simple — you can’t be alone? Self Reliance turns that riddle into a mixtape of jittery grooves, crate-digging gems, and a wonderfully peculiar score. Songs keep the game light on its feet; the score keeps the dread nipping at the ankles.

Tommy (Jake Johnson) accepts a dark-web “hunt” worth a million dollars. The catch: hunters can only strike when he’s solo. Cue a buddy-seeking odyssey where coffee shops become safe rooms and strangers become human shields. Needle-drops lean into nervy funk, global psych, and retro soul — party vibes scoring a man who can’t sleep. Dan Romer’s original music threads queasy textures and naive-sounding strings that feel like optimism trying very hard to breathe.

By design, the soundtrack rides comic mischief into melancholy. Early cues bounce; mid-film tracks warm up as romance flickers; the finale lands on a tender palm-wine ballad and a ragged indie coda. Phase map: crate-funk & global groove — improvised survival; warm soul & vintage pop — connection; ambient-odd score — anxiety; bittersweet end-credits — release.

How It Was Made

Composer: Dan Romer shapes the film with a deliberately off-kilter palette — bow-scraped tones, nervous pulses, and melody shards that peek out from behind jokes. He described it publicly as one of his “weirdest” scores, emphasizing DIY textures and cello experiments. Music Supervisor: Jessica Berndt wrangled eclectic source cuts, from Sierra Leone palm-wine to Moroccan-Gnawa-tinged psych and LA low-rider soul. (According to film credits and trade coverage.)

The movie premiered at SXSW 2023 and hit Hulu/Disney+ in January 2024; it’s a Lonely Island/MRC Film production with Johnson making his feature directing debut. No commercial score album has been issued as of publication, though the featured songs are widely streamable.

Tracks & Scenes

“Every Step of the Way” — Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds
Where it plays: ~00:01, opening credits. Fat horns and velvet bass swagger while Tommy’s bleak routine snaps into place (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Funky confidence as cosmic joke; the title winks at a hero who suddenly needs company every step of the way.

“Greenland National Anthem” — The Producers
Where it plays: ~00:08, warehouse meet-up as the “game” is pitched (background source).
Why it matters: Deadpan absurdity establishes the film’s prank-show tone.

“Kaddaba” — Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah
Where it plays: ~00:25 (Day 7) over Tommy’s improvised survival routine — breakfast detours, shadowing strangers, side-eye on sidewalks (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: A hypnotic Moroccan groove turns vigilance into rhythm; the hunt becomes choreography.

“Pura Candela” — Bosq feat. Jesús Pagán
Where it plays: ~00:40, club sequence when Tommy and Maddy decide to “do something fun” and stay conspicuously not alone (diegetic in-venue).
Why it matters: Community as tactic — dancing crowds double as armor.

“It Was Only a Dream” — Thee Sinseers
Where it plays: ~00:46, motel hideout. The low-rider soul ballad blankets nervous laughs and whispered contingency plans (source radio/needle-drop).
Why it matters: Old-school tenderness gives the thriller a heart, not just a punchline.

“Will You Promise” — Ebo Taylor
Where it plays: ~00:52 (Day 16), pool hang and quick cuts of motel-room respite (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Highlife warmth underscores tentative trust — a vow wrapped in guitar shimmer.

“Touch of Red” — Bent Wind
Where it plays: Later montage beats as paranoia creeps back in; fuzz guitars gnash under Tommy’s contingency spirals (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: Acid-rock teeth for a plan that’s fraying at the edges.

“El Conguero” — Johnny Blas
Where it plays: Transitional city driving; percussion flickers through windows and rear-view checks (source ambience).
Why it matters: Hand-drum hustle matches urban cat-and-mouse.

“Te Quiero Divina” — José León
Where it plays: Domestic interlude with unexpected softness; a kitchen-table pause before the next sprint (source).
Why it matters: A romantic oldie that re-centers stakes on belonging rather than winning.

“Un Trago Más” — Matt Hirt
Where it plays: A quick bar stop when “staying with people” becomes strategy; background mood over hurried whispers (diegetic).
Why it matters: Even the incidental cues keep the premise ticking.

“Please Go Easy with Me” — S.E. Rogie
Where it plays: ~01:26, final scene into end credits as Tommy reconnects with the circle that kept him alive (non-diegetic).
Why it matters: A palm-wine lullaby that reframes the film as a kindness plea rather than a conquest story.

“Gates” — Pass Kontrol
Where it plays: ~01:29, second end-credits track.
Why it matters: An indie exhale after the Rogie hush — curiosity walking out the door.

Trailer cue note: Blondie’s “One Way or Another” underscores marketing materials, telegraphing cat-and-mouse energy (trailer only).

Notes & Trivia

• Music supervisor credit goes to Jessica Berndt; Dan Romer is credited for original music.
• The song list runs eclectic: funk, highlife, low-rider soul, Moroccan psych, Latin grooves, and crate-classic rock.
• The end-credits one-two (“Please Go Easy with Me” → “Gates”) soft-lands the tone after the last joke.
• Several cues are used diegetically — clubs, radios, public spaces — so the “don’t be alone” rule sounds present inside scenes.
• No official score/OST album has been released to date.

Music–Story Links

Romer’s score arrives like static in Tommy’s head; when the plan stabilizes, songs take over. “Kaddaba” wires routine into groove — survival by rhythm. The motel run of Thee Sinseers and Ebo Taylor flips fear into flirtation; trust is a bassline you can nap to. When the premise edges from stunt to life choice, the palm-wine grace of Rogie answers the title’s challenge: self-reliance needs people.

Reception & Quotes

Reviews leaned positive on the film’s silly-sincere blend and Johnson’s debut, with audience scores landing around the warm-but-mixed zone. The soundtrack selections drew notice for their left-field charm and the score’s wiry personality.

“A unique comedy-thriller hybrid that mostly balances silly and sincere.” critics’ consensus round-ups

“Coming up for connection, Johnson delivers a frequently surprising why-we-need-people parable.” trade review capsules

“Romer’s playful, unsettling textures keep the paranoia buoyant.” composer coverage & credits chatter

Interesting Facts

• Composer color: Romer has said the score leans on intentionally naive cello textures — jittery by design.
• Supervisor stamp: Jessica Berndt’s mix of global and vintage crates gives the film its “weird but huggable” feel.
• Trailer vs. film: Blondie’s “One Way or Another” appears in marketing, not the feature.
• SXSW roots: The film premiered at SXSW 2023 before its January 12, 2024 streaming release.
• End-titles sequencing: Two distinct songs split the credits, shifting from hush to head-nod.

Technical Info

• Title: Self Reliance
• Year / Type: 2024 — Film soundtrack overview (Score + Various Artists)
• Composer (score): Dan Romer
• Music Supervisor: Jessica Berndt
• Key placements highlighted: “Every Step of the Way” (Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds); “Kaddaba” (Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah); “Pura Candela” (Bosq feat. Jesús Pagán); “It Was Only a Dream” (Thee Sinseers); “Will You Promise” (Ebo Taylor); “Touch of Red” (Bent Wind); “El Conguero” (Johnny Blas); “Te Quiero Divina” (José León); “Un Trago Más” (Matt Hirt); “Please Go Easy with Me” (S.E. Rogie); “Gates” (Pass Kontrol).
• Release context: SXSW 2023 premiere; Hulu/Disney+ streaming Jan 12, 2024.
• Album status: No official OST/score album released as of now.
• Production/Distribution: MRC Film & The Lonely Island; streaming on Hulu/Disney+.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score and what’s the vibe?

Dan Romer — playful, uneasy textures with DIY string colors that keep the comic suspense effervescent.

Is there an official soundtrack album?

No. The featured songs are streamable individually; a commercial score has not been released.

What’s the credits song everyone asks about?

S.E. Rogie’s “Please Go Easy with Me,” followed by Pass Kontrol’s “Gates.”

Which track plays during the club scene?

Bosq’s “Pura Candela” (feat. Jesús Pagán) when Tommy and Maddy hit the dance floor.

Any trailer-only music?

Yes — Blondie’s “One Way or Another” is tied to trailer cuts, not the feature.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Soundtracki scene/timestamp index; IMDb Soundtrack & Full Credits; Vague Visages “Soundtracks of Cinema” entry; Rotten Tomatoes page & consensus; Film Music Reporter notes on Dan Romer; Hulu YouTube trailer page.

November, 27th 2025