Jack Antonoff has released the official soundtrack to Ethan Coen’s latest film Honey Don’t!, marking a rare creative overlap between the 11-time Grammy-winning producer and his wife, actor Margaret Qualley, who stars in the film alongside Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans. The soundtrack, out now via Antonoff’s Shadow of the City label in partnership with Dirty Hit, blends original compositions from celebrated composer Carter Burwell with new music produced by Antonoff.
The project represents the first time Jack Antonoff has crafted music for a feature starring Qualley. In Honey Don’t!, Qualley plays Honey O’Donahue, a small-town private investigator entangled in a bizarre murder case linked to a cult leader, portrayed by Evans. Plaza, Talia Ryder, and Charlie Day round out the ensemble cast in what Coen has described as the second entry in his “lesbian B-movie trilogy” following last year’s Drive-Away Dolls.
The album weaves together Burwell’s darkly comic score with Antonoff’s curation of original tracks. Among the highlights: a blistering cover of The Animals’ 1965 hit “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” recorded by Brittany Howard, inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011; a playful cast rendition of Carl Perkins’ rockabilly classic “Honey Don’t!”; and songs performed under fictional personas “Lace Manhattan” and “Dixie Normus,” the in-film alter egos of Qualley and Ryder.
It’s not the first time Antonoff and Qualley’s relationship has intersected with music. Lana Del Rey’s 2023 song “Margaret”—co-written and co-produced with Antonoff—was inspired by Qualley herself. But Honey Don’t! marks the couple’s most direct collaboration to date, with Qualley both starring in the film and lending her voice to several tracks.
Burwell’s presence also ties Honey Don’t! to a broader Coen tradition of music playing a vital role in storytelling. His Oscar-nominated scores for Carol, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and The Banshees of Inisherin are widely regarded as modern classics. And in the Coen filmography, soundtracks have often outlived the films themselves: O Brother, Where Art Thou? topped the Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for Album of the Year, while The Ballad of Buster Scruggs yielded an Oscar-nominated song.
Yet the film itself has divided critics since its premiere at Cannes. While praised for its cast and absurdist flair, Honey Don’t! has struggled to win over reviewers, with Rotten Tomatoes currently listing it in the mid-40s. Some media outlets praised Qualley’s performance and the eccentric supporting characters, while others criticized its uneven tone and lack of narrative cohesion.
Still, the music may prove to be Honey Don’t!’s lasting legacy. Between Antonoff’s involvement, Howard’s powerhouse cover, and Qualley stepping into a musical spotlight of her own, the soundtrack offers more than a companion piece—it provides the film with a cultural foothold beyond its box office and critical reception.
Honey Don’t! is now playing in theaters, with the soundtrack available on streaming platforms and physical formats.
Here’s the full tracklist for the Honey Don’t! soundtrack, showing songwriters in parentheses:
- “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” (Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil) – Brittany Howard
- “Rough Love” (Carter Burwell) – Carter Burwell
- “ODDWADD”(Jack Antonoff & Ethan Cohen)– Lace Manhattan (Margaret Qualley)
- “Heidi Ho” (Carter Burwell) – Carter Burwell
- “Did You See Heaven” (Carter Burwell) – Carter Burwell
- “Little Black Star” – Lace Manhattan (Margaret Qualley)
- “Those Click-Clacking Heels” (Carter Burwell) – Carter Burwell
- The Wrong Penis Move (Carter Burwell) – Carter Burwell
- “Honey Don’t!” (Carl Perkins) – Cast Recording – Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Talia Ryder
- “You Will Not” (Carter Burwell) – Carter Burwell
- “Girl” (Jack Antonoff, Jack Manning, Talia Ryder, Margaret Qualley) – Lace Manhattan (Margaret Qualley) and Dixie Normus (Talia Ryder)
- “Honey and Cher” (Carter Burwell) – Carter Burwell
- “Destiny and Dreams” (Carter Burwell) – Carter Burwell
- “In the Sun She Lies” (Jack Antonoff & Ethan Cohen)– Lace Manhattan (Margaret Qualley)
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