After screening more than 200 spots, it was the music from ‘Anthem’ that the judges were humming, and still are, and there was no argument over recognizing the spot for the Mini Cooper in the best music and sound design category.

Produced through Toronto music and audio production house Pirate Radio & Television, the score was composed by Pirate’s Chris Tait, with engineer Keith Ohman and sound designer Billy Turchinetz of Toronto sound F/X house Venom.

Tait says the team had very little time to create the music and sound for ‘Anthem.’ The music was written while the spot was being edited and the lyrics were born of a rewrite. ‘It worked out great that we didn’t have the time to pick the work apart,’ says Tait. ‘Everyone was working on guts.’

The fast-paced, rock-heavy music is almost painfully catchy and its attitude just reeks of the little guy with something to prove. The music and sound design yank the viewer into this spot and play perfectly into its theme that size isn’t everything.

Tait has been composing music for commercial producers for almost 10 years. He started his own sound house in Toronto in 1993 with partner Doug Pennock and stayed there for almost four years before leaving to join Pirate, where he has been working for more than three years. Tait also recently completed recording an album of original music, Hello My Name Is.