PopHorror Interviews Horror Musician Lapses AKA Matt Cannon

Recently, I got the opportunity to speak with the horror-influenced musical act, Lapses. Matt Cannon, the man behind of Lapses, creates music with a horror theme, and is currently working on scoring the upcoming Todd Sheets film, Bonehill Road. We touched on everything from Bonehill Road to his influences to how much a soundtrack makes a horror film. 

PopHorror: Thanks for doing this, Matt. Let’s start off with a pretty easy question. Can you give someone who hasn’t listened to your music before an idea of what it sounds like?

Lapses: I would probably say like an ’80s horror movie soundtrack. It’s just more of a modern take on it. I guess that’d probably be it. I could use words like darkwave or synthwave, but that might not be too clear. If I say stuff like Halloween III or The Boogeyman, it might spark some interest.

PopHorror: I watched the Maniac remake the other night, and the music sounded like yours.

Lapses: Oh yeah, really? That’s cool. Now it makes me want to see the movie even more.

PopHorror: Yeah, it definitely had the same vibe as your music. It has a John Carpenter sort of sound to it. Would you be able to describe some of your influences for us?

Lapses: A lot of the early stuff I did, I don’t think I listened to a lot of soundtracks. As I started to get more into my horror stuff, like when I did the one song, “Tachyon Message,” I started listening to Carpenter a lot. Prince of Darkness is the inspiration for that song, and that’s why it’s called “Tachyon Message.” You know, the beings that go through time and send the messages back and forth in the film, which is a pretty cool thing and I always thought that was interesting.

Now, my inspirations are pretty much all coming from films. Richard Einhorn, who did the film Blood Rage, was a huge stepping stone for what I’m doing now, especially with songs like “Dreamaniac” and two other unreleased songs. Tim Krog, who did the music for The Boogeyman, is another one. Piero Montanari, who did the soundtrack for Ghosthouse, is a pretty big inspiration. Sinoia Caves’ score for Beyond the Black Rainbow is another huge inspiration for me. It’s sort of a compilation of a bunch of different horror soundtracks, plus other artists, that I listen to. Lazerhawk and a friend of mine, Stilz, is a darkwave musician who I’ve definitely listened to a lot and have gotten advice from. That would probably sum it up.

PopHorror: I have to ask… what’s your favorite horror film soundtrack ever?

Lapses: My favorite horror film soundtrack is a hard question to answer, because like I said earlier, there are so many that have inspired me. If I had to pick one, I would probably say the soundtrack for Blood Rage. It’s not even released as a soundtrack, it’s just the movie itself. It’s just a great soundtrack. It’s very driving, dark score and there really wasn’t too much like it back in the ’80s, except there was a movie called Killer Workout by a director named David Prior. The movie soundtrack was all workout music, just real intense and darker sounding.

PopHorror: I need to check out Blood Rage, and Killer Workout sounds goofy but right up my alley.

Lapses: It is. It’s terrible, but it’s great. It has one of the greatest fight scenes in it, though. I love it.

PopHorror: Stage Fright has a pretty similar soundtrack to it. It has that same sort of driving, synth soundtrack to it. The soundtrack really moves the film along.

Lapses: Yeah, it engages you. When I think of driving music, it’s like being chased. Chase music is a lot of what I look to for inspiration. Blood Rage opens up with a chase song. You don’t need to open up a movie with a huge action scene. Just have the music and what’s going on.

PopHorror: Going off of that then, how important do you think a soundtrack is to a film? Obviously, what’s happening on screen will always be the most important part of any movie, but where does the soundtrack fit in to what makes a movie great?

Lapses: It depends on what the movie is going for. What kind of story does the movie want to tell? If a movie wants to talk about irony, the soundtrack should be quite the opposite of what the movie is. Stuff like Cannibal Holocaust or Slither. You’re Next is a perfect example of that. Dwight Twilley does most of the music in the movie, which pretty much sets the tone for the film. “Looking For The Magic” really pulls the whole film into this really obscure, off-kilter feel. If you’re doing a horror film that’s more gritty or grindhouse-like, you’ll want the music to match the feel of the film.

PopHorror: I remember the You’re Next trailer with Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” playing over it. To this day, it’s felt so sinister, and it’s really not. You mentioned briefly Cannibal Holocaust, and I’ll bring up Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom. The main themes are very ironic. They’re bright and uplifting, but you know what’s coming.

Lapses: It’s kind of like Natural Born Killers. The movie opens up with people laughing, yet there’s this underbelly to it. It’s very similar to what’s done in Cannibal Holocaust. Then you see what’s really behind the situation, and it’s looking at human nature. It’s almost tongue-in-cheek. The music is happy, but what’s happening underneath is much darker. What I do really isn’t like that. I just like writing dark, fast, sinister sounding music.

PopHorror: I want to touch on the film you’re scoring a little bit. It’s Todd Sheets’ new film. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Lapses: I was approached by Todd earlier this year. He heard some of my music and asked if I wanted to work on his new film. We realized we were on the same wavelength, and I started writing music very similar to what I was already doing. It’s an ’80s throwback werewolf film called Bonehill Road. He wanted an ’80s sounding score to go with the film, so that’s what I’ve really been working on. The score will be co-written by Justin Burning, Toshiyuki Hiraoka and myself.

PopHorror: Scoring a film compared to writing an album – is one easier or is one harder? Do you prefer one or the other?

Lapses: Doing movie soundtracks is fairly new to me. It’s honestly better for me, since it’s more demanding. I’m more focused doing the movie soundtrack. When I’m doing music for Lapses, I don’t feel like I have a deadline. Soundtracks are slightly difficult, but at the same time, I’ve become quicker at it and have gotten a better understanding of the software I’m using. Both sides have their positives and negatives. It’s nice with Todd because he’s very open to what I’m offering. I’m given specific instructions, but I’m still able to work and be creative.

PopHorror: Where can our readers check out your music?

Lapses: First, you can check out my Soundcloud. You can also check out my Facebook page. 30th Floor Records is where you can find my EP Pink Oscillator, which is more mellow than the stuff you’ll be hearing on my Soundcloud.

PopHorror: Do you have any shows coming up?

Lapses: I do. July 7th and 8th I’ll be DJing at VHS Fest at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, and then I’ll be playing a set both nights as well. I’m also playing at the Pharmacy in Philadelphia September 14th, and at Bourbon & Branch in Philadelphia on October 14th.

PopHorror: Thanks again Matt for your time.

Definitely make sure to check out Lapses on Facebook and Soundcloud. Check out Lapses song “Dreamaniac” below, and let us know what you think! If you’re in the area, be sure to swing by VHS Fest or to one of Lapses shows in Philadelphia. I’ll see you there!