Alex G joins forces with The Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan on Pain Is the Heart of Love, a bittersweet centerpiece from the soundtrack to Jane Schoenbrun’s new film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. The song combines Alex G’s original music with lyrics written by Schoenbrun and Buchanan’s unmistakably tender vocal presence.
Layers of guitar and quiet orchestral touches gather around Buchanan, holding close to the intimacy of his performance rather than overwhelming it. His worn, expressive voice gives the track a heavy emotional pull, while Alex G’s arrangement shifts between softness and flashes of bright, shifting color. The result sits somewhere between longing and quiet heartbreak, offering a clear window into the film’s emotional landscape.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma marks Alex G’s third collaboration with Schoenbrun. He previously composed the music for 2022’s We’re All Going to the World’s Fair and 2024’s I Saw the TV Glow, developing a creative partnership defined by scores that blur interior feeling, digital unease and cinematic atmosphere.
The soundtrack arrives August 21st, 2026, with Waxwork Records releasing Alex G’s complete score on September 11th.
ZR