Loneliness. Heartache. Emptiness. Isolation. Everything that describes film noir also describes the pandemic. 

When Melissa Errico first fell down the YouTube rabbit hole of film noir, she didn’t expect to find a new passion. After watching hours of tragic femme fatale actresses fall trap to their fate and lonely heroes become disillusioned with society — she realized that the themes of the 1940s weren’t so far away after all. A collaboration with the French Institue Alliance Francaise for a film festival further cemented this love for film noir, and most especially for the music these movies featured. 

Out the Dark presents 17 tracks arranged with the very heart of film noir. Songs like “Laura,” “On Vit, On Aime,” and “Silent Partner” capture the mystery and intrigue of those classic films. “Farewell My Lovely” showcases a beautiful lyrical setting to the tune of “Marlo’s Theme,” originally written by David Shire for the movie Farewell My Lovely. And, Melissa gets to star in her very own novella in the music video for “Angel Eyes” — a seven-minute watch that you don’t want to miss.  

Listen to the full episode to hear the stories behind each track on Out of the Dark. Melissa Errico shares how her collaboration with the French Institute began, her vision for the album, and the intriguing tale behind her brand new music video.