Lennertz recorded the soundtrack at The Village recording studio in West Los Angeles and Capitol Records. Lennertz attempted to remain "authentic" to the characters' progression from average worker to calculated killer. To achieve this aim, he decided against recording digitally, instead recording the tracks on two-inch analog tape, intending each musical cue to sound as if it was emanating from a vinyl record.[7][5] He explained, "The idea was to put together a band that would record the score together the same way that they would make an album. It isn't over-produced or shiny and digital in any way. It's brash, noisy, and full of bravado and swagger. I knew that if we could harness some of this sonic magic in the score, then the toughness and confidence of the music would play against Bateman, Sudeikis, and Charlie Day to really emphasize and elevate the humor in the situations that transpire."[7] Lennertz continued, "We tracked through tape before Pro Tools to get that fat sound, and made every choice based on feel rather than perfection. We even used the same Wurlitzer that Money Mark played on Beck's classic ‘Where It's At’. At the end of the day, Seth [Gordon] and I wanted to produce a score that is as irreverent and full of attitude as the movie itself. I think we did it...and most of all, everyone had a blast in the process."[7]
Track listing
Horrible Bosses: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Gregory Heaney of AllMusic wrote that "the film's score adds an element of seriousness to the on-screen comedy, providing a nice sense of balance to this ensemble black comedy."[9] Dan Goldwasser of Soundtrack.Net wrote "The score by Chris Lennertz is fun and energetic, primarily rock-band based, playing out the tension of the scenes and driving the characters forward."[10]
Personnel
Album credits
Music – Christopher Lennertz
Additional music – Money Mark, Jess Stroup
Music production – Christopher Lennertz, Jess Stroup, Todd Bozung
Co-producer – Jeff Vaughn, Money Mark
Recording – Kevin Globerman, Larry Mah, Jeff Vaughn
Mixing – Jeff Vaughn
Mastering – Stephen Marsh
Score editor – Todd Bozung
Assistant score editor – Jaclyn Newman
Assistant engineer – Charlie Paakkari, Ghian Wright, Vanessa Parr
Orchestration – Andrew Kinney
Contractor – David Low
Music co-ordinator – Anne Roever, Kim Baum, Libby Umstead
Copyist – Steve Juliani Music
Executive producer – Seth Gordon, Dana Sano, Erin Scully