{"id":87091,"date":"2026-10-21T13:28:32","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T18:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/?p=87091"},"modified":"2026-10-21T13:28:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T18:28:49","slug":"my-top-8-tracks-from-recent-movie-scores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/2026\/10\/21\/my-top-8-tracks-from-recent-movie-scores\/","title":{"rendered":"My top 8 tracks from recent movie scores"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everyone\u2019s becoming a movie fanatic. 2026 has been a great year for mainstream as well as independent films. From a film student perspective, there are so many things to appreciate about trends in recent filmmaking. Notably, sound design and scoring have elevated numerous films in my personal rankings. In no particular order, here are eight of my favorite tracks from recent movie scores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lakeith Stanfield in \u201cI Love Boosters\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinky Ring Dude<\/strong> <\/em>by TuneYards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI Love Boosters\u201d was like a never-ending fever dream in the best way possible, and this track perfectly encompasses what it felt like to watch this movie. “Pinky Ring Dude” was the recurring theme for the character Pinky Ring Guy and would always play when Lakeith Stanfield appeared on screen. A euphoric theme for this mysterious character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best Mini Me by Anna Drubich<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Campy, witchy, over-the-top, \u201cForbidden Fruits\u201d wasn\u2019t well-received by the majority of the viewers, but the people who get it, get it. If you\u2019ve ever played a GirlsGoGames mystery game, this track is going to feel very nostalgic, capturing that same innocent charm from the 2010s. “Best Mini Me” encapsulates the feeling of working in a fashion store with your witch besties perfectly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twintuition<\/strong> <\/em>by Moses Sumney and Joseph Shirley<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I love when composers incorporate the score as elements in the movie itself. \u201cIs God Is\u201d follows twin sisters Racine and Anaia, portrayed by Kara Young and Mallori Johnson respectfully, on their journey to end their father\u2019s life. A fun element of twins is the idea of being able to communicate without speaking, also known as twin telepathy. The little clicks with hums heard in this track represent the conversation happening between the two protagonists telepathically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Inde Navarette and Michael Johnston in \u201cObsession\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obsession by Rock Burwell<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This film needs no introduction. What stood out to me on my numerous rewatches of this masterpiece was how the score elevated every scene it accompanied, creating a haunting atmosphere that made this film as memorable as it was. The title track being no exception, “Obsession” sets the mood perfectly as a backdrop for this story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old Home Not Yet Built by Kane Parsons and Edo Van Breemen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBackrooms\u201d was able to capture the feeling of liminal spaces incredibly well with Kane Parson\u2019s direction and set designs. His collaboration with Edo Van Breemen on the film\u2019s soundtrack made for a compelling piece of cinema, and this track in particular feels exactly like describing a song to someone who\u2019s never heard it before and asking them to reproduce it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skybridge Reprise by Hays Holladay, Ryan Holladay and Shannon Lay<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Austin Abrams plays the \u201cguy having a really bad day\u201d trope really well; \u201cResident Evil\u201d spins the video game series on its head, and instead of following an experienced operative, we\u2019re stuck with a clumsy guy just trying to make ends meet who finds himself in a sticky situation. This track layers vocals performed by Shannon Lay, leading to an ominous yet hopeful theme that accompanies Abrams\u2019 character. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Epidemic<\/strong> <\/em>by Ari Balouzian<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A certified banger from A24\u2019s \u201cPrimetime\u201d that made it straight to my workout playlist. Ari Balouzain knows how to score a movie to keep viewers engaged. Along with being the composer of \u201cPrimetime,\u201d his work was also recently featured in the 2026 documentary \u201cYou Can See Everything,\u201d following Elizabeth Holmes and Billy Evans days before her eleven-year prison sentence. The track sounds very reminiscent of 2000s reality TV, as it layers vocals and a very distinct polyphony that slowly begins to feel distorted and off-beat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shot from \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Troy by Ludwig G\u00f6ransson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the best sequences in recent cinema was The Sack of Troy in \u201cThe Odyssey.” Ludwig G\u00f6ransson used several instruments that were played in ancient Greece all throughout the score, but Troy in particular is a masterclass in sound scoring that had me on the edge of my seat for its entirety. It builds tension through increasingly urgent percussion and strings, creating a phenomenal track for this epic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone\u2019s becoming a movie fanatic. 2026 has been a great year for mainstream as well as independent films. From a film student perspective, there are so many things to appreciate about trends in recent filmmaking. Notably, sound design and scoring have elevated numerous films in my personal rankings. In no particular order, here are eight of my favorite tracks from recent movie scores.  Lakeith Stanfield in \u201cI Love Boosters\u201d Pinky Ring Dude by TuneYards \u201cI Love Boosters\u201d was like a never-ending […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33358,"featured_media":87095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8762,15,3235,8780],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative-writing","category-featured-on-kjhk","category-music-reviews","category-opinion"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/B636D841-82DD-432A-B87D-1B0A167B0778.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33358"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87091"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87097,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87091\/revisions\/87097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kjhk.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}