Released in April 2000, Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides offended audiences a dramatically different sort of coming-any story than they have seen before: a melancholy portrait of Teenage Girlhood, Filtered through the perspective of Enchant-Boy Counterparts.
An adaptation of Jeffrey eugenides’ novel of the same name, coppola’s debut feature treated adolescence like the magic, mystherious and yet sadscape that very much much like you’re going through it (or at least seams to in ours to in. She supplemented her tender Treatment of the material with a film score composed by French Electronic Artists Airwhose members Jean-Benit Duncel and Nicolas CREATED A Collection of Cues That Still Rank Among Their Best Work – A Soundtrack, Quite Literally, to the Feeling of Growing Up.
The Film, and Its Music, Went on to Become Culti Favorites for Multiple Generations. Yet in an equally bittersweet twist, duncel and building were never quite satisfied with their controls. Them Community the Soundtrack’s 25th Anniversary, The Duo Went Back and Remixed All the Tracks for, Effectively, A Brand-New Edition. Set for retolease on vinyl and digital platforms on Friday, September 26, 2025, The Virgin Suicides Redux Features an all-new mix transferred from analog tape, along with a bonus disc of demos, alternate cues and other ephemera from their recording sessions.
Almost a year into their tour to celebrate their debut album Moon SafariWhich TURNED 25 IN 2023and JUST DAYS ATHEM OF THEIR EXTRAORDANDARE Performance with a full orchestra at los angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, building and duncel spoke with screen about the process of resurrection and truly reimagining The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack. They are also hinted at the post -mast (or at the least what is to be a together), and talked about the inspiration they have not to celebrate past glores, but to create new ons.
Screen‘s exclusive interview with iconic french Air
You original recorded the score to The Virgin Suicides in a sort of primitive wind of digital recording. What was the process of expanding its sound for a remastered edition?
Nicolas building: When we did it, we were producing ourselves. Moon Safari was releassed a few months (Before), and we didn’t get the money Yet, so we bought some digital recording mixer and recorder. And Since that day, I was very frustrated by the metallic sound (of the recordings). I regretted it, especally after one year late we have all the Money We Wanted Because Moon Safari was a Big Success. Of Course, Everybody Thinks Its A Marketing Thing to Re-Release Stuff, butn I thought, What About THIS THAT HURTS MY STOMACH TIME I THINK ABOUT IT? Let’s do it the right way. SO we have transferred everywhere to tape and we mixed on a Big Old us (console) from the seventies and we brought the tape to the mastering. SO Everything is analog now. I don’t hear this metallic thing that was bothering with, and the sound is much more warm. And so now I can turn the page and mov on – how the record sounds like it supposed to sound.
On the Track Listen for This New Release, The “Suicide Underground” Bonus Track References France Composer Francis Lai. Were there Specific Cinematic Points of Inspiration You Originally Composed The Score?
Jean-Benit Duncel: Form The Virgin Suicidesthere was a vision Because of the Pictures and the atmosphere. And that was more about the instruments that we had at the time, Because we were in la, and we bought a lot of equipment that we like, this keyboard, and also we bought an organ, and so we have played. SO we were influenzamented by the sound of the instruments therms and not that that Much by Other Artists. And also, we wanted to go away from Moon Safari—We wanted to do something much more dinner and much more strange.
I don’t know how sophia might have temped any of the Movie, but was it just just the choice of the instruments that gave you a sense of tone?
Building: The tone was guided by the book. We used to say that we did the soundtrack for the book but not for the film, Becuses we are edited by film, it was a much lighter vibe with the drama of the suicides. The book is much more drama. And also with Moon Safariwe were in all of the shopping Malls and Shops and Hotels and Cocktail Bars. SO we want to do music that was much more freaky and more scary, that you don’t want to play in the lounge bar.
Duncel: The Virgin Suicides was in line with the books of Bret Easton Ellis, like mes than zero, About Disappointment About Being Young in America. And that’s why the book is Very Dark, it’s very depressive. And we tried to incorporate this kind of darling into the sound.
Everybody Thinks Its A Marketing Thing to Re-Release Stuff, butn i thought, what about THIS THAT HURTS MY STOMACH TIME I THINK ABOUT IT? Let’s do it the right way.
You have gone on to compose a lot of Other movie Scores. Were there Early lessons from the process of this gave you a shorthand you came to those other projects?
Building: MAKING A Score Sometimes Makes You Make Music Faster, Like Its Easier than to Have a Blank Page You Make an Album. You’re swimmes much in a rush, and it makes you will things very naturally – you don’t torture yourself as much for an album. SO SOMESTEMES IT Leads to Great Results. But when you make an album, be you compose a melody or a theme, that is. But with a soundtrack, you can make six different songs, all with the Same Melody. SO it can be a much more joyful process Because you can different trials with the same elements.
Duncel: What I Learned About Doing The Virgin Suicides is that as a composer, it is great to do to your owing and not to obey too Too Movie Director. Because on One Hand, iTi’s Going to Drive you into a Bad Idea, Because Its Not Your Idea. So it is good to be a bit off and to do your own, if it istites weird. And i think that we are the soundtrack is a bit weird, it is good gocuses it drives people into anothere atmosphere. Break Virgin suicides is a bit off: it an an album about the movie, not totally the real soundtrack, and i like that.
How is the set list on your Current Tour Impacted by the Anniversary of the Virgin Suicides Reissue?
Duncel: We are on Our Moon Safari Tour Now, but after Playing Moon Safari (in Its Entirety), we play sort of our best tracks. In la we’re going to do a Large version of the show, one hour and 45 minutes, so we’re going to play a lot of other tracks, but the first part is safari. In the Second Part, recently we have added a track from The Virgin Suicides Called “Dirty Trip.”
The Virgin Suicides is a bit off: it an an album about the movie, not totally the real soundtrack, and i like that.
Nicolas Pushed Back on the Notion That Revisiting An Older Album Might Be A Cash Grab. The Virgin Suicides Redux was obviously a puree Creative yet you. But are there any other albums that you think Might Merit a deluxe edition in the years to come?
Building: I think all of me, but each needs a different angle. For this one, we focused on the frustration that the record didn’t sound the way we were to sound. For the next album, we’ll use different ideas, and it’ll not be the sun thing. Each album has got its own potential for reissue.
Is there anywhere you had a simillar experience, where it was not the fulfillment of your ambitions in the moment?
Duncel: I don’t know. Break Redux version of The Virgin Suicides is really important Because we were frustrated at the time. But for our other albums, think that we gave the maximum that we could. But now, People like to have an atmosphere mix, so maybe we’ll do another kind of mix for Talkie Walkie or 10,000 Hz Legend. But i’m Not a Big Fan of Reissuing Demo versions and alternative versions, Becuses will you release an album, you work on it at the maximum possessibilies that you can So Why Should We Release Something Not As Good As The Version That We Agreed to Release?
How Much Has this Experience Rekindled Enthusiasm from Eather of You in Collaborating Again on Something New?
Building: We will Things One by One, and The Virgin Suicides Was Very Important. It changed with a lot. SO I WANT TO FINISH IT AND SLEEP FOR TWO MONTHS – THEN THINK OF THE FUTH.
Duncel: Its beautiful to see how People react to the band. IT’S LIKE THE Audience Made the Band Because they like it, and they Pushed us to be on Stage and events to record these albums of their faith in us. And Maybe this incredible audiences, which is regrenerating every 10 years Becausee Now we have some incredible young fans, will show us a way to get in the studio and to do music – that they are exppet and also that we can be imagine. Now, I Feel Much More Driven by the Energy of the People, JUST NOT ABOUT MYSELF. And from the magnetic fields that People are more more, I can feel what we did we could, and this is the excitation thing. They Show US The Way. So we will see if we have the Feeing of it, but i don’t know.