John Carpenter’s celebrated minimalist synth soundtracks were born out of necessity. Working with tight budgets, the director—who had grown up in a musical household, the son of a music theory professor—decided that it was cheaper to just serve as his own composer. But though Carpenter’s film music has only grown in stature and influence over the decades, it still came as something of a surprise when he decided to release his first album of original music, the cheekily titled Lost Themes, last year.
Now comes the harder-rocking follow-up, Lost Themes II. NPR is currently streaming the album in its entirety. It’s due out on April 15 from Sacred Bones Records; Carpenter will begin his first-ever live music tour at the end of May. You can see those tour dates and stream the album below.
John Carpenter 2016 Tour
May 30–DR Koncerthuset –Koncertsalen—Copenhagen, Denmark
June 2—Primavera—Barcelona, Spain
June 14–Paramount—Seattle, WA
June 15—Arlene Schnitzer—Portland, OR
June 17—Fox Theatre—Oakland, CA
June 18—Orpheum—Los Angeles, CA