The The Last Reservation Soundtrack
I started building the soundtrack for The Last Reservation before I finished the story. Music is such an important part of my creative process. As I develop each character, I can vividly imagine what they look like and how they move through the world. I can vividly see the curves in their faces when they smile, the shapes of their eyes, and even scars they may have inherited from life events. It's a very detailed process and an honor to possess such a gift.
The music plays such an intricate part in every story I create because it helps to elevate the storytelling. I can clearly articulate an encounter between two characters, but I feel like it's the soundtrack that adds the emotion and brings the moment in the story to life. Each act in The Last Reservation had a sound before it held its final form on the page. I'd picture the waves hitting the mountains in one of the prominent locations in the story, and all I'd hear is Beyoncé's “ Smash Into You, playing. I'd picture Layla and Julian on opposite sides of the world, wondering about each other, and hear Miles Davis' Blue In Green, one of my favorite songs, by the way.
I hope my details and guide help you enjoy the soundtrack and story simultaneously, as intended. It's one of the best sensory experiences in my opinion.
What I'm sharing today is the full soundtrack, broken into five acts that mirror the story's structure. Fifty-two songs, five acts, one ten-year promise.
I recorded a video (below) walking through this too, so if you'd rather listen to me talk it out than read it, that's here for you as well.
Act I — Melancholy Love, Not Loss (Songs 1-20)
This is where the story begins and where it keeps returning to. Not exactly sadness. But more like emotional confusion and the ache of someone who is still waiting, still wondering, still choosing to hope without any evidence that hope is warranted. Blue in Green. Peace Piece. In A Sentimental Mood. Naima. These songs are among my favorites and capture exactly how I imagined Layla and Julian feeling.
Act II — The Drive to Carmel (Songs 21-22)
Short and sweet, this act has two songs that are important to specific parts of the story. Two songs, one drive, told twice. Long As I Live plays in Layla's car. Have You Seen Her plays in Julian's. Neither of them knows what's waiting on the other end of that highway, but the music helps drive your imagination.
Act III — The Joy (Songs 23-38)
This is when the story really begins to open up. There are beautiful moments in beautiful places. These songs describe the slow, unguarded falling that happens once two people finally stop protecting themselves from each other. Smash Into You, Butterflyz, Sweet Love, all of it lives here, in that stretch where everything feels possible.
Act IV — Heartbreak and Loss (Songs 39-45)
Every love story worth telling has to hold grief somewhere, and this is where The Last Reservation holds its. Love Wouldn't Count Me Out. Stranded. How Do I Breathe. These songs carry the weight of what happens when love collides with loss, and two people who love each other have to learn whether they can survive losing their footing.
Act V — Coming Back Together (Songs 46-52)
The climax of the story, one of my favorite acts outside of Act II, to be honest. All The Man That I Need. Ribbon In The Sky. Wey U, which you'll recognize the moment you hear it, because it shows up inside the story too, playing through a kitchen at exactly the right moment. This act closes with such beauty and warmth.
None of you have read the story yet, since it doesn't release until August 11th. But start here, with the music, and let it lead you in and help you anticipate getting to know these characters really soon.