Back Lot Music has unveiled “Wynter Waxeth”, an original song in Middle English for Werwulf by Ethel Cain and composer Robin Carolan. The pair wrote the medieval music-inspired track alongside writer-director Robert Eggers, while Cain’s vocals will also be featured in the “witchy scenes”.

“It’s always been my dream to score a horror film in some way, and I couldn’t think of a more perfect first opportunity than getting to work with Rob and Robin on a song for Werwulf," Cain said. “We were immediately creatively aligned so the entire process felt very intuitive and natural. It felt like I was back in the heart of the music I started off making at the beginning of my career, which felt really good to return to. Robin sent me a bunch of old medieval music at the beginning and was very into the psaltery, which introduced me to the traditional instrument. I bought one online and wound up plucking out this simple little harp line on it and that’s where the song began.”

"Given how immersive and period accurate Robert’s films are, I knew the only way the song would work within the film was if Ethel and I consulted with Rob about the language and the words we use, as they not only needed to sound right, they also had to tie directly in with the story he was telling," Carolan said. "Once we had his input, Ethel went away and put together this gorgeous, medieval folk inspired demo, composed of harp and the most haunting vocal melodies that on first listen gave me genuine goosebumps. Immediately, it felt we were in the world. I then produced and composed around what she’d come up with in order to make the song feel more cinematic and wider in scope, something that felt fitting for the ending, and we went back and forth until we felt we’d nailed it.

“I was very intentional with the sounds I used as it was important to me to incorporate elements of the score that are synonymous with different aspects of the story: the family bond, the curse and the mysticism. Before we started working on the song, Ethel and I had already established a musical language as we’d been working together on score tracks where her vocals are more experimental and textured. This proved to be massively helpful considering we barely had any time left to do the song. It was a real sprint to the finish line. I’m genuinely so happy and proud we were able to make it happen as I honestly couldn’t imagine the film without it, and getting to work with Ethel has been a dream.”

The lyric video is now available to watch on Cain’s YouTube page, while the 7" LP, with score track "Cold Moone" by Carolan, is available to pre-order from Sacred Bones Records and set to release on January 29th.

Werwulf will be in theaters in the US on December 25th and in the UK on January 1st.