Daniel Blumberg & Amanda Seyfried debut “Hunger & Thirst” alongside The Testament of Ann Lee Soundtrack Album Details
Academy Award-winning composer Daniel Blumberg and actress Amanda Seyfried debut “Hunger & Thirst,” the latest musical offering from Blumberg’s forthcoming soundtrack for writer-director Mona Fastvold’s visionary new feature The Testament of Ann Lee. Available for pre-order today, the 33-track album features both original score music and songs written by Blumberg for Fastvold’s retelling of the life of the true legend of Ann Lee, the founding leader of the Shaker religious movement. The film debuts in select theaters on Christmas Day via Searchlight Pictures, with a nationwide release in January 2026.
Performed by the film’s lead Amanda Seyfried, “Hunger & Thirst” is one of ten traditional Shaker hymns that have been radically reworked by Blumberg for the film and follows lead single and original song “Clothed by the Sun,” which was written by Blumberg and was recorded as a duet between the composer and Seyfried for the film’s end credits.
Reuniting with director Mona Fastvold following his Oscar-winning score for The Brutalist (co-written by Fastvold and Brady Corbet) and his debut score to Fastvold’s 2020 feature The World to Come, Daniel Blumberg was deeply involved in The Testament of Ann Lee from its earliest stages, developing musical sketches alongside the director in early 2024, workshopping with cast and choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall during pre-production, and eventually remaining on set throughout the film’s production to musically direct and record actors on location. One of the key starting points for Blumberg and the filmmakers was the deep synergy between music and movement inherent in the worship practices of the Shaker movement, with the music and choreography developing in tandem with one another.
Of the music and creating the sonic landscape of the film, Blumberg says,
“The story of the Shakers and Ann Lee is inherently radical. I was trying to push the edges of the melodic core of hymns and songs to these more elemental and improvised sounds. Outside of my films, I make records with songs, so there was familiarity in working with song form but it was a very new process to do it for a picture. There’s a wide breadth of voices on this soundtrack ranging between some of my favourite improvisers in the world, untrained choirs, to Hollywood actors.”
For the film’s vocal songs, Fastvold and Blumberg grounded their approach in Shaker history, together selecting ten archival hymns to be reshaped through a contemporary lens and performed onscreen by the film’s cast. In addition to the twelve traditional hymns, Blumberg composed three original songs, including the end credits theme “Clothed by the Sun,” performed as a duet between the composer and Seyfried. The result is a boldly inventive song-and-score hybrid that drives the film’s two-hour narrative while capturing the radical spirit of Ann Lee and the Shaker movement.
Of the film’s music-driven narrative director Mona Fastvold comments:
From the very beginning, the music was never just an accompaniment—it was a living, breathing force shaping the film. Daniel’s approach, rooted in physicality and raw vocal textures, allowed us to build a world where sound and movement became inseparable, echoing the ecstatic spirit of the Shakers.
Lead actress Amanda Seyfried adds:
Daniel’s ability to preserve the spirit of Shaker hymns and carry it forward in such an evocative and timeless way is a gift to all of us. I’ve never been more moved as a musician to work alongside him to bring these to life.
Check out the full tracklist below ahead of The Testament of Ann Lee’s Soundtrack’s January 16th release. Listen to “Clothed By The Sun,” plus the latest single “Hunger & Thirst” & pre-save the album here.
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK)
TRACKLISTING –
- The Testament of Ann Lee – Thomasin Mckenzie
- Manchester
- Hero Prayer One
- Walk to Infirmary
- Infirmary
- Walk to Wardleys
- Wardleys – Maggie Nicols
- Worship – The Cast of The Testament of Ann Lee
- Sex Celeste
- Beautiful Treasures – Amanda Seyfried
- Search for Ann
- I Never Did Believe – Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Scott Handy and Matthew Beard
- Hunger & Thirst – Amanda Seyfried
- Ship
- Lower Deck
- Today Today – Viola Prettejohn, Jamie Bogyo
- Storm
- All is Summer – Amanda Seyfried, The Cast of The Testament of Ann Lee
- Magical Boat Ride
- John’s Running Song – David Cale, Lewis Pullman
- Whores
- Niskayuna
- The Eclipse
- Bow Down O Zion – Lewis Pullman
- Building & Growing
- William Walking
- I Love Mother (Pretty Mother’s Home) – The Cast of The Testament of Ann Lee
- Arrest
- Stone Prison – Amanda Seyfried
- Shattuck
- Down to the Deep – Amanda Seyfried
- Beautiful Treasures Funeral – The Cast of The Testament of Ann Lee
- Clothed by the Sun – Daniel Blumberg, Amanda Seyfried