Unlocking the Sound of "The Truth Within"

An Exclusive Interview with COX SOUNDTRACK, the Creative Force Breaking Global Barriers.

Visuals capture the eye, but music captures the heart. As the hit crime series "The Truth Within" takes the world by storm, fans are raving not only about superstar Luo Yunxi’s intense performance but also the show’s gripping, razor-sharp soundtrack.

Meet COX SOUNDTRACK, the innovative team behind the music. Led by talented artist Guo Shiyi and visionary director Zhang Kun, these "emotional architects" are redefining how stories are told through sound. In a world of AI-generated tracks, they’ve proven that true soul can’t be replicated. We caught up with them for an exclusive TrueVisions interview to go behind the scenes of their latest masterpiece.

รีวิวอัลบั้มเพลงประกอบซีรีส์ “The Truth Within”

COX SOUNDTRACK TEAM

Q1: Please briefly introduce yourself, including your background, and describe your journey as a musician.

Hello everyone, we are COX SOUNDTRACK, a film and television music/score label from China. Our journey began with a gathering of exceptional musicians in 2024, and we made our formal market debut in 2025.

A major catalyst that drove our transition from individual creators to a collective team was the emergence of AI. During the rapid AI expansion of 2023, we observed the shifting landscape and reflected on the future of creativity. We realized that relying solely on individual effort might no longer suffice in an increasingly complex creative environment. Instead, we believed that making aesthetics the core—utilizing enhanced collaboration to amplify human collective wisdom and creative spirituality—offered a more meaningful & competitive path forward.

Driven by this vision, we spent 2024 carefully selecting collaborating musicians and refining our workflow. Our goal remains clear: to ensure the right talent is matched with the right project, ultimately producing works that we truly believe in and are proud to call our own.

Q2: What is the core concept and sonic identity you aimed to convey through the entire soundtrack album for “The Truth Within”? Furthermore, how did you intend for the audience to feel each time the opening theme recurs in every episode?

When our music supervisor held online meetings with the director for the very first time, both parties quickly reached a consensus: the musical approach for this project should lean closer to the sensation of a 'thriller -horror film/series'.

We chose to consciously de-emphasize traditional melody in favor of an atmosphere-driven approach, seamlessly integrating music with sound design and SFX to collectively serve the emotional arc of every scene.

Consequently, throughout our creative process, we focused on capturing specific 'sound tags' for the series—such as the eerie skittering of spiders or the haunting whispers that mimic a character’s auditory hallucinations.

By magnifying these auditory elements of fear, we aim to transport the audience instantly into the unsettling world of The Truth Within from the very moment the opening theme begins in each episode.

Q3: In tracks widely regarded as fan favorites, such as “壞，理由是愛” (Bad, The Reason Is Love) and “悔” (Regret), what techniques did you employ to evoke conflicting emotions? What was the most challenging aspect of composing each track in the album?

From the very beginning of the project, the director was very clear about adopting a 'God’s perspective' in the creative process, deliberately avoiding any forced sentimentality. We strongly aligned with this vision, as we wanted to leave more space for the audience to explore their own emotions and reflections.

Under this premise, the greatest challenge lay in the lyrics, as each song required a precisely defined vantage point: if the story itself is about the pursuit of the criminal, then the role of the music is to pursue the internal psychological logic that led to the crime in the first place.

Q4: The lyric and music instruments of “悔” (Regret) powerfully conveys the theme of human fragility. What was the story behind it? Was it drawn from a specific moment in the series, or was it influenced by your own experiences and observations about the world today?

Monkey (Guo Shiyi): I am incredibly happy that you feel 'Regret' powerfully conveys the theme of 'human fragility'. While creating these five songs, I was constantly trying to uncover the underlying reasons why these individuals drifted toward crime. To me, what we call 'fragility' is essentially about 'caring deeply'—the more we care about something, the easier it is to be led and controlled by it, and the more likely we are to stray because of it.

There is a phrase in the Chinese classic Dao De Jing (道德经) that says, 'Reversal is the movement of the Tao' (反者道之动). It suggests that the laws governing many things often manifest in contrary ways. For instance, people often commit major mistakes simply to cover up smaller ones. Or, the more you desperately want to protect someone, the more damage you might inadvertently cause. Similarly, what you perceive as 'love' can sometimes become the greatest obstacle in someone else’s life.

However, when we 'peel back' human nature layer by layer to find the root of every thought—to face it and truly see it—it ceases to be so terrifying. Perhaps this is precisely what I hope to convey to everyone through these works.

Q5: How did you initiate the creation of the main theme for the series? Did you begin with key scenes from the script, the personalities of the lead characters, or another starting point, and how did you subsequently develop it into the full texture and orchestration?

First, we begin our conceptualization by analyzing the overall temperament and visual style of the production. Once the macro musical direction for the 'world-building' is established, we move on to developing specific musical themes for each individual case.
Since this series is uniquely structured into several case-based chapters, we don't rush into defining specific melodies at the start. Instead, we prioritize identifying a signature timbre and an overall sonic atmosphere for each case. In our philosophy, a 'theme' is not strictly limited to a melody; it could be a distinctive sound texture or a specific sound effect that represents that particular story arc.

Subsequently, we craft character themes based on the protagonist’s image, personality, emotional growth arc, and their intricate relationships with other characters. Finally, we interweave these character themes with the specific case motifs to build a unique and cohesive musical temperament for each chapter.

Q6: During your collaboration with the director and production team, was there any moments in particular, directive, or request that significantly influenced the musical direction? How did you interpret and implement such guidance?

We can only describe this collaboration as 'purely fortunate.' We were incredibly lucky to work with a director who not only places immense value on scoring but truly understands it.
The high degree of aesthetic alignment between the director and our Music Supervisor ensured that our objectives remained exceptionally clear throughout execution, sparing us from a great deal of unnecessary creative trial and error. Ultimately, it was this foundation of mutual trust that made the entire collaboration so seamless.

Trust is paramount. When there is mutual trust, the creative atmosphere becomes relaxed and fluid. In such an environment, we as creators can channel our entire focus and energy into the music itself, which invariably leads to much greater inspiration and efficiency.

Q7: Can you please share influences or sources of inspiration that shaped your work? Specifically, which musicians or film/TV soundtrack compositions have had a particularly strong impact on you? Additionally, please share three soundtrack albums (from films or series) that you personally regard as masterpieces, along with brief reasons for your selections if possible.

Certainly, we are happy to share the film and television scores that have deeply inspired us.

1. Oldboy (South Korean Film) – Composer: Jo Yeong-wook. The melancholy and fatalistic melodies in this score are in perfect harmony with Director Park Chan-wook’s distinct audiovisual language. This work profoundly demonstrated to us the intrinsic link between melody and raw emotion.

2. Stranger Things (US Series) – Composers: Michael Stein & Kyle Dixon. We have been following this score since the first season. What amazed us was not just the technical production, but the ingenious stylistic choice—using an 80s retro-electronic palette to match the series was a masterstroke. It perfectly illustrates how the right musical 'identity' can define a show.

3. The Shape of Water (US Film) – Composer: Alexandre Desplat. Desplat is a personal favorite of our Music Supervisor. In this film, the music does more than just accompany the story; it meticulously crafts the characters' identities, their relationships, and the subtle evolution of their emotional dynamics through sound.

Q8: Please share a message with Thai fans and supporters worldwide who admire the soundtrack of this series, as well as any upcoming projects they can look forward to following and supporting in the future.

We are deeply grateful to our Thai fans for truly 'hearing' us; it reinforces our belief that music can transcend borders and convey profound emotions.

While our team is based in Beijing, we are always eager to connect with talented musicians from around the globe to co-create high-quality scores for film and television. In addition to our Chinese collaborators, our team currently includes members from Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States. We are particularly excited about the possibility of collaborating with talented Thai musicians in the near future.

Looking ahead, we have two suspense drama series in the pipeline. We hope you will continue to follow our journey.

Let us meet again through the power of music!

Follow and support artist:

Instagram: @cox_soundtrack
YouTube: @COX_SOUNDTRACK
Weibo: CoxSoundtrack
Rednote: COX SOUNDTRACK

--------------

Thai Fans Crown the Top Tracks from "The Truth Within" OST

In an exclusive poll hosted by TrueVisions, Thai audiences have spoken on the most impactful melodies from "The Truth Within." Taking the #1 crown is the standout track "Peel," followed by a string of heavy hitters: "Stop Falling" at number two, with "Regret," "Bad, Because of Love" completing the prestigious top five rankings.