Alex G Shares “Pain is the Heart of Love” With The Blue Nile’s Paul Buchanan

Alex G has shared the first song from his score for Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. “Pain is the Heart of Love” features Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile, whose appearances have been rare since his 2012 solo album Mid Air.

Buchanan’s presence matters. After Mid Air, he resurfaced only on a Jessie Ware song in 2017 and a Quiet City track in 2021. Pairing him with Alex G for the lead single from a horror film soundtrack shifts the expectation — this is not a functional cue but a song designed to carry its own emotional register. The full soundtrack arrives August 21.

This is Alex Giannascoli’s third collaboration with Schoenbrun, following scores for We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2022) and I Saw the TV Glow (2024). The film follows a young director, played by Hannah Einbinder, rebooting a horror franchise who connects with the reclusive actress, played by Gillian Anderson, who portrayed the series’ final girl. The tracklist also draws on R.E.M., Sally Shapiro, Donna Lewis, and Okay Kaya — a selection that places Alex G’s voice among established and adjacent influences rather than treating the soundtrack as a solo showcase.

Alex G’s recent activity — co-producing Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Weekend, finishing a North American tour, and releasing two songs on his personal YouTube channel — suggests an artist working at a deliberate pace, choosing collaborators rather than rushing output. Buchanan’s involvement reinforces that discretion.