"Tomb Raider 2018" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Tomb Raider (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

What does “becoming Lara Croft” sound like when the origin is grittier and more grounded? Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL) answers with iron-and-sinew orchestration: deep drums you feel in your ribs; bowed metal and distorted pulses for panic; a theme that climbs more than it soars. It’s less glossy hero-fanfare, more survival rhythm — a kinetic chassis that carries Lara from London grit to the Devil’s Sea and Yamatai’s tunnels.

The film sprinkles a handful of contemporary songs for character color, but the album is Holkenborg’s 72-minute score — industrial textures recorded with orchestra at AIR Lyndhurst — culminating in the propulsive “Becoming the Tomb Raider.” In credits, K.Flay’s original “Run For Your Life” closes the circle: a pop coda that articulates the willpower the score implies.

In phases: percussion + sub-bass — grit, fight, endurance; string ostinati — forward motion and puzzle-solving; processed metal & synth — fear and machinery; song needle-drops — Lara’s London life and end-credits release.

How It Was Made

Warner Bros./MGM tapped Holkenborg in mid-2017; he built an earthy palette (hand percussion layered with electronic grit) and recorded in London with the London Studio Orchestra, John Ashton Thomas conducting. Sony Classical released the score digitally March 9, 2018; CD followed March 16; vinyl that August. The film’s small song slate was supervised on the studio side (credited music supervisor: Kle Savidge), while the trailers leaned on a mood-hero cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor” by 2WEI.

Tracks & Scenes

Key placements and how they play on screen. (Edits differ by territory/home release.)

“Return to Croft Manor” (Tom Holkenborg)

Where it plays:

Early London stretch as Lara dodges responsibilities — the cue’s low brass and ticking percussion frame the estate reveal and her decision not to sign the papers.

Why it matters:

States the score’s language: purposeful rhythm over tidy “hero” harmony.

“Seeking Endurance” → “The Devil’s Sea” (score)

Where it plays:

Investigation beats to Hong Kong departure, then storm crossing. Drums punch like body blows; strings saw in place as the ship snaps in the squall.

Why it matters:

Turns travel into trial — you feel the work before the island.

“Let Yamatai Have Her” (score)

Where it plays:

First full exploration on the island — flares, fog, and ruins. Synth grit under bowed metal evokes the geography as antagonist.

Why it matters:

Defines this reboot’s sound of discovery: tactile, hostile.

“Karakuri Wall” → “What Lies Underneath Yamatai” (score)

Where it plays:

Puzzle-trap gauntlets and the final descent. Rhythmic patterns “solve” forward; clusters snap like gears locking.

Why it matters:

Mechanics translated into motif — the music thinks like the tomb.

“Becoming the Tomb Raider” (score)

Where it plays:

Climactic escape and epilogue resolve. Momentum breaks into a hard-won, ascending cadence.

Why it matters:

Origin achieved — without a cheap “superhero sting.”

“Run For Your Life” (K.Flay) — end credits song

Where it plays:

Rolls over the first end-credit crawl after the tomb climax — a modern pulse and urgent lyric matching Lara’s headspace.

Why it matters:

Gives the film a contemporary pop exit and a quotable mantra.

“On Fire” (Cianna Blaze)

Where it plays:

London-life source needle-drop — high-energy swagger around the opening city run-and-ride beats.

Why it matters:

Signals young, broke, moving — pre-hero Lara in one hit.

“Doing Me” (RAY BLK)

Where it plays:

Another London slice-of-life cue — rehearsal room/gym prep and daily grind woven into early montage.

Why it matters:

Character texture: independence first, destiny later.

“Make It Count” (Dave James & Michael Craig)

Where it plays:

Brief city montage/source; the track punctuates errands and banter as Lara wrestles with signing away the search for her father.

Why it matters:

Bridges the ordinary and the mythic with a wry wink.

“Cherry” (Area Grey & Kiite)

Where it plays:

Urban-pop diegetic cue tucked into London exteriors — storefront sound that frames Lara’s courier world.

Why it matters:

Colors the social world she’s about to leave.

Trailer music

2WEI — “Survivor.” A slowed, cinematic cover of Destiny’s Child powers Trailer #2 — all breath and drums over quick-cut peril. It’s marketing only (not in the film).

Notes & Trivia

• The score album (Sony Classical) arrived March 9, 2018 (digital), with CD on March 16 and a double-LP later that summer.
• Holkenborg recorded at AIR Lyndhurst (London) with John Ashton Thomas conducting; additional music by Aljoscha Christenhuß and Antonio Di Iorio.
• The film uses a compact set of licensed songs; there’s no separate “various-artists” compilation — K.Flay’s single stands alone for the credits.
• Trailer identity skewed pop-epic: 2WEI’s “Survivor” became synonymous with the marketing but isn’t in the movie.

Reception & Quotes

Reaction framed the score as muscular and tactile — less “theme-suite,” more propulsion and atmosphere — while press singled out the trailer’s “Survivor” and the credits single “Run For Your Life” as sticky add-ons to the franchise playlist.

“A survival engine more than a melody machine — exactly right for this origin.” film-music capsules

“Trailer cover + end-credit single gave the reboot a pop halo without crowding the dramatic score.” soundtrack roundups

Interesting Facts

• Lean needle-drops: Compared with the 2001 film’s club-heavy album, 2018 keeps songs sparse and situational.
• End-credits original: K.Flay’s “Run For Your Life” was commissioned for the film and released as a stand-alone single.
• Percussion first: Holkenborg’s cues often build from drum design upward — the “origin” grows out of pulse, not theme.
• Game DNA: The rawer palette nods to Crystal Dynamics’ 2013 game reboot the movie adapts.
• Vinyl heads-up: The first LP issue expands the CD program across two discs for dynamic headroom.

Technical Info

• Title: Tomb Raider (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year: 2018
• Type: Film score (with a small set of licensed songs in the film)
• Composer: Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL)
• Music supervisor: Kle Savidge
• Label: Sony Classical (digital 2018-03-09; CD 2018-03-16; vinyl 2018-08-24)
• Selected notable placements: “Run For Your Life” (K.Flay) — end credits; “On Fire” (Cianna Blaze), “Doing Me” (RAY BLK), “Make It Count” (Dave James & Michael Craig), “Cherry” (Area Grey & Kiite) — London life/source moments.
• Album highlights (score): “Return to Croft Manor,” “Seeking Endurance,” “The Devil’s Sea,” “Let Yamatai Have Her,” “Karakuri Wall,” “What Lies Underneath Yamatai,” “Becoming the Tomb Raider.”
• Trailer song: 2WEI — “Survivor” (cover) for Trailer #2 (marketing only).
• Availability: Streaming/download widely; CD and LP pressings available.

Questions & Answers

Who composed the 2018 film’s score?

Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL). He recorded at AIR Lyndhurst with the London Studio Orchestra.

Is there a separate “songs” album?

No. The commercial album is the score. Licensed songs appear only in the film and as singles (notably K.Flay’s end-credit track).

What’s the song over the end credits?

K.Flay’s “Run For Your Life,” commissioned for the movie.

What’s the trailer song everyone remembers?

2WEI’s cinematic cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor” in Trailer #2 — not used in the film itself.

Where do the diegetic songs appear?

Primarily in early London sequences — courier life, gym/rehearsal, and city montage beats before the island.

Key Contributors

Sources: Sony Classical press page (album & dates); Wikipedia album & film entries (composer, release details, credits single); Discogs/retail listings (formats); IMDb Soundtracks (licensed songs); InSoundtrack/Soundtrakd (song credits); Universal Music/press for K.Flay single; Teen Vogue/Vanity Fair coverage identifying 2WEI’s “Survivor” in trailers; official trailers on YouTube.

November, 29th 2025