Jerik Centeno, a 2013 alumnus of Kauai High School and currently a Los Angeles-based film composer, producer and mix engineer, released his musical score for the film “Riley” on Friday.
“You probably knew me from skateboarding, tennis or playing music with my best friends in our high school band called The Buddy System,” Centeno said in a statement provided to his publicist, Leah Jereb, for TGI. “Since leaving Kauai, I’ve moved to Los Angeles to pursue audio engineering and music full-time, and wound up composing music for movies.”
Jereb, of Windsor File Co., said Centeno won “Best Musical Score in a Narrative Feature Film” at the San Diego Film Awards in 2024 for the “Riley” score.
“The film is fresh off the festival circuit, with its most recent showing at the Honolulu Rainbow Festival, where it won the Audience Award in 2025,” Jereb said. “Jerik created the emotional, ambient score using a Mark Matamos custom-built instrument called ‘The FLC,’ a harp-like structure that manipulates synthesizers through touch.”
Leading to the album release, a music video and single, “Sleepy Captain Moved to El Cajon,” was out on Feb. 6 along with pre-orders for the 90 limited-edition double LP custom blue vinyl records that will begin shipping on Feb. 20.
“Now, I’m releasing my film score as an album, and on vinyl,” Centeno said. “Putting the music out for ‘Riley’ means so much to me because I never thought that learning the saxophone would be the best musical foundation, that making music with my best friends in our band could lead me to where I am today, and that a Filipino boy from Puhi could make music for movies. The music from my album is grounded and introspective which are traits that attribute to who I am because of being from Kauai.”
“Riley (Original Motion Picture Score)” is a one-of-a-kind creation that brings a new palette of sound to the cinematic and ambient music landscape, Jereb said.
The Calgary International Film Festival described “Riley” as “one of the best coming-of-age film in years.”
Written and directed by Benjamin Howard, “Riley” has seen a resurgence following the viral sensation of “Heated Rivalry” star Connor Storrie, who plays Liam in the film. Liam becomes a catalyst for the main character Dakota’s confrontation with his own sexuality, punctuated by the musical tracks, “What Would You Do If I Kissed You?” and “Self Sabotage.”
“Please watch ‘Riley’ because it is a film about identify and expectations,” Centeno said in the statement. “Being from Kauai, the aloha spirit directs us to love, accept and uplift everyone for who they are, no matter their ethnicity or background. The melting pot of cultures creates the Kauai I grew up with, and the island thrives off of the diversity.
“But just because we’re from Hawaii does not mean we are bound to the expectations that follow locals, or the world have on us. In Hawaii, we embrace others for who they are, and love everyone’s unique backgrounds — we eat each other’s foods, we celebrate each other’s holidays, and we wala‘au with one another — so we ourselves deserve to live in our truest light and be embraced for who we are. This is something that I wouldn’t have learned elsewhere if I weren’t from Kauai, and having that core value helped my part in this movie.”
The score for “Riley” started long before production of the film took place. Centeno first created a piano demo called “Sleepy Captain” about his friend’s cat, Captain Amazing, who was taking a nap while he house sat. The director heard the song and used it in “Rendezvous,” the short film that served as a precursor to “Riley,” and the song became the foundation for the feature score.
“My film score for ‘Riley’ is out now, wherever you listen to music, and available to purchase on vinyl at jerkcenteno.bandcamp.com,” Centeno said. “Watch ‘Riley’ on Apple TV or Amazon.”
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