Afterlife of the Party has come to Netflix and if you’re anything like me you’ll LOVE the original music! But, who is the mastermind behind the poppy bops? That would-be musician (now actor) Spencer Sutherland making his acting debut. If you don’t know who he is, I promise you, you will!
Afterlife of the Party tells the story of party planner and super social butterfly Cassie (Victoria Justice) and her best friend, Lisa (Midori Francis). After a tragic accident during her 25th birthday celebration week, Cassie finds herself in the afterlife. There, she is tasked with making amends to 3 people on her given list – her mother, her father, and Lisa. If she doesn’t, Cassie won’t be going up…but going down. One of the instruments in Cassie connecting with Lisa is music, specifically the music of Koop (Spencer Sutherland) – their favorite popstar.
Sutherland wrote 4 original songs for the film, “Blush”, “Drive”, “One Look” – which we get to see part of the music video being made, and “Home” – a duet with Justice. All of which are fun, feel-good music! While writing the songs, Sutherland was able to channel a part of his creativity he hasn’t really allowed in his own personal music. However, that’s going to change.
“In my music, I put a lot of truth and raw things about my life in it, and with these…it was interesting to try and think less while I was writing. Like if something feels too generic sometimes it’s not; some of the best songs are like that…it was interesting taking a step back and writing more simplistic, but just feels good – it was really a breath of fresh air. It even taught me about writing for [myself]. Hey, sometimes simple works.”
Afterlife of the Party is currently streaming on Netflix. Don’t let this fantastic movie slip past your queue!