Cocaine Bear – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Mark Mothersbaugh | Waxwork Records × Back Lot Music | 180g Colored Vinyl | Gatefold
In 1985, a drug smuggler's plane went down over the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia. The cocaine he was carrying was never recovered by authorities — but a 175-pound black bear found it. What followed became one of the stranger true stories in American wildlife history. Elizabeth Banks turned it into a dark horror comedy in 2023, and Waxwork Records, in partnership with Back Lot Music, commissioned a full original score from one of the most distinctive composers working in American music.
Mark Mothersbaugh — co-founder and frontman of DEVO, whose Brian Eno and David Bowie-produced debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! went Gold and Freedom of Choice went Platinum — scored Cocaine Bear as a sonic time capsule of the decade the bear lived in. "At the beginning of the film, it starts out very pop," Mothersbaugh explains. "But as it goes through it, it gets heavier. The guitars change up from being acoustic and lighter to being distorted and more aggressive." To achieve the period authenticity, he pulled his original DEVO road cases from storage and used the same synths, amps, and foot pedals from the band's 1980s recordings.
The result is a score that starts in '80s pop and ends somewhere considerably darker — which, given the film's trajectory, is exactly right.
This pressing is housed in a heavyweight gatefold jacket with original artwork and layout by illustrator Matt Needle, and includes a 12"×12" insert.
🔥 Pressing Details:
✔ 180 Gram "Cocaine" Colored Vinyl — opaque white/off-white colorway
✔ Crystal Clear Colored Vinyl — the companion pressing
✔ Complete score by Mark Mothersbaugh — full original film music
✔ Waxwork Records × Back Lot Music — co-release from two trusted soundtrack labels
✔ Heavyweight gatefold jacket — premium packaging built for collectors
✔ Artwork and layout by Matt Needle — acclaimed film poster and soundtrack illustrator
✔ 12"×12" insert — additional art and liner notes
Currently on sale at $14.99 (originally $32.00 at release) — Waxwork Records pressing quality at an exceptional price point.
About Mark Mothersbaugh
Grammy, BAFTA, and Emmy-nominated composer, producer, designer, and visual artist. Co-founder of DEVO. Film and TV credits include The Lego Movie, Thor: Ragnarok, Rugrats, Pee-wee's Playhouse, and dozens more. For Cocaine Bear, he reached back into the actual decade — same instruments, same synths, same road cases — to build a score that doesn't just evoke the '80s, it uses them.
About Matt Needle
UK-based illustrator known for his work on alternative film posters and official soundtrack releases. His design for this pressing is consistent with Waxwork Records' standard of commissioning original art that treats the soundtrack as a standalone object — not just a record with a movie image on it.
Format Details
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Label | Waxwork Records × Back Lot Music |
| Composer | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| Film | Cocaine Bear (2023), dir. Elizabeth Banks |
| Format | 12" LP |
| Vinyl | 180g "Cocaine" Colored + Crystal Clear variants |
| Packaging | Heavyweight gatefold jacket |
| Insert | 12"×12" |
| Artwork | Matt Needle |
| Genre | Soundtrack / Dark Comedy / Horror Comedy |
Also in the Film Score Collection at Heretic Circle:
→ Fight Club Original Soundtrack – Pink Vinyl 2LP (The Dust Brothers)
→ Bubba Ho-Tep Original Score – Egyptian Sand & Silver Swirl LP (Waxwork Records)
Why Heretic Circle?
🖤 Authentic vinyl pressings from trusted distributors
📦 Secure padded vinyl shipping — arrives safely every time
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