Wynne Bennett remembers hearing the early rumblings of Electroclash, a late 1990s/early 2000s music and art movement that fused new wave and synth pop with techno and electronic dance music. She was immediately drawn to the mixture of raw synths, lo-fi drums sounds, and at times, extremely fast tempos and punk elements. Decades later, her love for the subgenre became the inspiration for her latest body of work, the soundtrack for the Apple Original series, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed.
She bonded over this love with creator/producer David Rosen, who met with her to discuss composing the show. They wanted to create an exciting score that felt distinct from the typical sounds associated with thrillers and comedies. Their early conversations on their mutual love of electroclash really resonated with her, and they made sure to incorporate it into the final score.
“I loved the dance culture and excitement of a new subgenre of music unfolding,” Bennett said. “Sometimes theatrical, provocative, absurd or simply just an undeniably fun track, those formative years in NYC listening and dancing to this wave of music was crucial to my musical and artistic development.”
That mutual love became the starting point for a sound that she said naturally evolved into the original soundtrack. Bennett and Rosen excitedly mused on a score that juxtaposed that tightly wound energy with the expansive sound of the original score to the 1996 Cohen brothers film, Fargo. Their initial approach would mutate over time as Bennett collaborated directly with Rosen and the series editors from early on in the production process.
“Collaborating with the editing team pushed me to keep crafting from the emotional perspectives of the characters in a supported, playful space, all while building off of each other's work,” Bennett said. “We were passionate and aligned in making the music shine for Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, so I often challenged my previous work and always explored new ideas.”
The comedy thriller crime television series follows newly divorced mother Paula Saunders as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer. Amidst her legal troubles, she pays for the online services of a webcam model, Trevor, and vents to him about her personal life. One night, Trevor is beaten and kidnapped on-camera and soon after, Paula starts receiving calls for ransom money. The police are convinced it is just an internet scam, but then Trevor is found dead. Paula becomes entwined with the mystery of Trevor's death as secrets from her past come to light.
The first episode was the one Bennett was most looking forward to people seeing and hearing for the first time. When Paula is painfully sitting in traffic on her way to Trevor’s house, audiences hear a synth called the Mochika. Bennett wanted to create a sequence that played on the patiently waiting and mounting anxiety feeling of being in a traffic jam. The pressure and sound builds before breaking right as Paula peels out of traffic.
“I had so much fun composing the music for her maniacally driving scene,” she said. “Remnants of hyper pop and over-the-top sounds accompany her trip on the highway.”
In the last scene, as Paula snoops around Trevor’s house, moments of silence are interrupted with eerie sounds, ultimately leading to a dramatic climax. It was another moment that Bennett hoped the audience would enjoy seeing and hearing as much as she enjoyed creating.
Leading with instinct is always Wynne Bennett’s method of creating music, and this project was no exception. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed had its bar set high with the expertly crafted story, and she got to challenge herself in the best way possible. She got to explore fresh takes on extremely intense moments and depict vulnerability with unique sounds. Turns out her instinct was right: electroclash works perfectly with comedy thrillers.
