The Suicide Squad: “Ratism” Track Previews DC Film’s Epic Score (Exclusive)

The Suicide Squad finally arrives in theaters and on HBO Max this weekend, bringing James Gunn‘s bombastic take on the DC universe to life. The film has a lot of elements that are going to get fans immersed in the high-octane action — including its use of music, which combines an array of needle drops with an explosive score from composer John Murphy. Ahead of The Suicide Squad‘s debut, as well as the release of The Suicide Squad (Score From the Original Motion Picture), ComicBook.com can exclusively debut a track from Murphy’s score, titled “Ratism.” As the name would suggest, the track is tied to the world of Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), a member of the Squad with the ability to command rats. You can listen to the track below.

“Me and James are both Ennio Morricone fans,” Murphy told ComicBook.com of Ratcatcher’s sound in an exclusive interview, which will debut next week. “I mean, for me, Ennio is like the God. He is the cinema to me. And Ratcatcher was, especially, a very important character, because she’s carrying a lot of the heart and the emotion. A lot of the main undercurrent themes of the movie are to do with redemption and family, so I knew that was a big character for James. So, I thought, ‘What do I really want to hear when I’m watching this heartfelt, beautiful character?’ And I thought, ‘Well, let’s try the beautiful sad strings with the simple acoustic guitar.’ And I sent a really rough demo over to James, thinking I was going to add more things on top, and there was a countermelody and there was other stuff. And he was like, ‘No, it’s perfect. Just leave it like that.’”

Murphy’s score for The Suicide Squad utilizes his punk band roots, as he initially wrote the entirety of the score on guitar (and even plays all of the guitars heard on the soundtrack).

“When we recorded the orchestra, I loved hearing all these blaring brass themes and soaring violins that started out as fuzz guitar riffs,” Murphy said in a statement tied to the score’s release. “And timpani riffs that, in my head, were really drum fills. The orchestra killed it!”

“James trusted me to go with my gut; and I trusted him to mean it,” Murphy continued. “So The Suicide Squad score was a collaboration from beginning to end. And probably the most fun I’ve ever had on a movie!”

The Suicide Squad will be available in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, August 6th. The Suicide Squad (Score From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), as well as The Suicide Squad (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), will both be released on Friday, August 6th.