Yearning, disillusionment, humor, and catharsis are in the air in the teen romance/summer road movie Paper Towns, based on the young adult novel by John Green (The Fault in Our Stars). Its soundtrack comprises a contemporary indie spectrum, including indie rockers
Vampire Weekend,
Grouplove,
HAIM,
the Mountain Goats,
Son Lux, and
the War on Drugs, indie electronic artists
Twin Shadow and
Santigold, and Australian indie folk singer/songwriter
Vance Joy among the 16 songs. Swedish EDM act
Galantis rallies club beats and angst in the dance hit "Runaway (U & I) [Svidden & Jarly Remix]," and
Alice Boman brings things down to earth with the hauntingly intimate "Be Mine." A viable alt-music soundtrack for its time and not just the film (à la
Pretty in Pink and Garden State),
Paper Towns hit the top half of the Billboard 200 after the movie's U.S. release in July 2015. ~ Marcy Donelson