Barkskins Music By Colin Stetson

Barkskins examines the mysterious massacre of settlers in the vast and unforgiving wilds of 1690s New France that threatens to throw the region into all-out war. The eight-part National Geographic series, series based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Annie Proulx. The dark historical drama features a thrilling original score written and performed by Grammy Award-winning saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and composer Colin Stetson (Hereditary, Color Out of Space).

Of his scoring process, Colin says “The ‘sound of the forest’ was what I was first tasked with in generating the overall aesthetic and character of the score for Barkskins. Taken both literally and metaphorically, I based much of the sonic backbone on two pillars: Of an essence and feeling of wild and heavily wooded places, I combined the sounds of low bowed strings and my own voice, in unison and extreme glissando, to create an undulating melodic bed, deeply creaking and airy, as trees swaying in the wind. And literally, the actual sounds of the forest, those of red squirrels, finches, ravens, and I think a sea lion (whoops) all twisted and modified into a supporting sonic landscape within which to compose.”

Barkskins stars David Thewlis, Marcia Gay Harden, Aneurin Barnard, James Bloor, Christian Cooke, David Wilmot, Thomas M. Wright, Tallulah Haddon, Kaniehtiio (Tiio) Horn, Lily Sullivan, and Zahn McClarnon and is available to watch via National Geographic and on Hulu.