Mayfair Witches Music By Will Bates

Based on Anne Rice’s best-selling trilogy, Lives of the Mayfair Witches, the 8-episode series focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon, Rowan (Alexandra Daddario), who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations. Showrunner Esta Spalding (Masters of Sex, On Becoming a God in Central Florida) and Michelle Ashford (Masters of Sex, The Pacific, John Adams) are executive producers and writers. This second series in the expanding Anne Rice Immortal Universe, Mayfair Witches stars Daddario (The White Lotus), Jack Huston (Fargo, Manhunt), Tongayi Chirisa (Another Life, The Jim Gaffigan Show) and Harry Hamlin (Mad Men, L.A. Law).

Available everywhere now, the album features music written by Will Bates for AMC Networks’ newest series. Originally introduced by album lead single and the series main theme “The Witching Hour,” Bates’ soundscape is punctuated throughout by the ethereal vocal stylings of Los Angeles-based vocalist, producer and artist Maiah Manser, who contributes everything from choral-style vocals to guttural wailing and even singing in reversed Gaelic. Layered atop Bates’ darkly ominous instrumentation and horror-inducing synthwork, the resulting soundtrack reflects the series’ gothic New Orleans setting while maintaining the complexity of Rice’s story and characters.

Of the soundtrack, composer Will Bates says, “The gothic horror of New Orleans and the complexity of Anne Rice’s characters really allowed me to experiment with instrumentation and themes. I love to make use of the enormous power of melody when working on a show, planting the seed of a theme in 17th century Scotland and allowing it to grow into a new context in contemporary New Orleans. And I feel so fortunate to feature the vocals of Maiah Manser, she’s truly masterful and I think her voice really became the sound of Rowan’s internal subconscious. I asked her to sing in reversed Gaelic quite a bit. And after recording some guttural wailing for a certain 17th century Scottish funeral, I gather her studio cat no longer looks her in the eye.”

Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches premieres new episodes on Sundays at 9:00pm ET/PT on AMC with new episodes streaming early on Thursdays on AMC+.