F1, Dracula, Outlander and more

Doing catch-up after the summer, we cover some major titles in this edition, including Hans Zimmer’s F1  and Danny Elfman’s horror shenanigans in Dracula: A Love Tale, Bear McCreary’s new series in the Outlander universe, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, as well as a few under-the-radar gems.

F1 (Hans Zimmer & Steve Mazarro, 2025)

Joseph Kosinski’s high octane film about the Formula 1 circuit (a classic underdog story) was a tightly told, albeit slightly vacous, highlight of the summer. Hans Zimmer, who’s provided wonderful car scores in the past (Days of Thunder, Rush) fuel-injects the proceedings with a rollicking, synth-heavy, highly melodic score that blends old stylings with new, supported by co-composer Steve Mazzaro. Decently curated at 66 minutes (with only a handful of more perfunctory cues), it’s an engaging experience, especially when it settles into grooves for extended periods of time. A refreshing score that opens up the windows after many dark and dense Zimmer soundscapes in recent years. Favourite tracks: «F1», «Run for the Podium», «Three Laps is a Lifetime»

Dracula: A Love Tale (Danny Elfman, 2025)

Luc Besson selects Danny Elfman over his usual collaborator Eric Serra for his take on Bram Stoker’s famous tale. To be honest, I would have preferred a Serra take, as Elfman is the more predictable choice. And, indeed, it very much subscribes to the Wojciech Kilar-inspired gypsy stylings he explored so elegantly in The Wolfman (2013) – those aching, chromatic string structures, with added trademark elements such as gleeful playfulness (a music box!), wordless vocals and a fair bit of growling brass. But that’s okay, it’s a landscape in which he walks comfortably, a landscape that is always rewarding even if he’s become a tad “dense” in his mainstream scores over the years. Could perhaps have been organized better – a lot of short cues across an hour or so. Favourite tracks: «Music Box», «The Dance», «End Credits»

Outlander: Blood of My Blood (Bear McCreary, 2025)

For this spin-off prequel TV series of the popular Outlander series (which was always a mix of historical drama, time travel and soapy love story), Bear McCreary returns with yet another infectious romance from the Scottish highlands – ripe with time- and geography-specific instrumentation and broad melodies inspired by Gaelic tradition. Compared to the soundtrack for the original series, this is perhaps slightly more static, with many repetitive figures (at times slightly reminiscent of Trevor Jones’ Last of the Mohicans), percussive riffs and colours, but just like the original series’ season one soundtrack, it’s refreshingly curated at 56 minutes and not excessively long like many of his other albums. A fairly breezy listen. Favourite tracks: «The Julia and Henry Theme», «Sun Rising on the Flagstone», «The Bothy»

Four Letters of Love (Anne Nikitin, 2025)

This is a three-way love story set in Ireland, based on Niall Williams’ bestseller book, starring none other than Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham-Carter and Gabriel Byrne. Composer Anne Nikitin (The Dropout, I.S.S.) has kept very busy in recent years, but crafts what I think is her best and most emotional score for this film, dipping into Gaelic colours and wordless female vocals (much like Outlander above – only Irish rather than Scottish this time), with a longing and expansive main theme carried by violin. While some of the tracks lack a bit of development, that central theme – and its many variations – keep interest up at a reasonable 42 minutes. Favourite tracks: «At Last You See», «From Dublin to the West», «God’s Country»

Wheel World (Johnny Jewel, JOON & Orion, 2025)

This is a bicycling adventure game, of all things, that somehow managed to secure electronic music star Johnny Jewel as its composer, alongside two young female artists named JOON and Orion (not to be confused with similarly named male artists). As usual, Jewel provides dreamy sensations (all those mid-range, half-note indie chords, man!), but this time adds funky rhythms and 8-bit nostalgia to his bag of tricks, segueing effortlessly in and out of Orion’s sleeker synthwave songs and JOON’s more arty synthpop (instrumental versions are also included). It’s a conceptually tight work that is easily one of the best synth scores of the year. One caveat, though — at two whole hours(!), the album is much too long, so prepare to whittle away for a more succinct listening experience. Favourite tracks: «Darklands», «Villain of Love (Instrumental)», «Into the Maze»

Aux armes, citoyennes! (Laetitia Pansanel-Garric, 2025)

This documentary, produced for Arte France, chronicles the many unheralded women of the French revolution, including Pauline Léon, Olympe de Gouges and Théroigne de Méricourt. It fittingly has a female composer, Laetitia Pansanel-Garric, who previously impressed me with her moody score for L’home dels Nassos  in 2023, a runner-up that year. Although only 20 minutes in length, Aux armes, citoyennnes! makes the most of it while it lasts – ripe  with consonant orchestral writing, defined themes, choir or bold solo lines for brass. It’s like a self-contained symphonic poem in a style that was more common 30 years ago. Most certainly a breath of fresh air. Favourite tracks: «La marche des femmes sur Versailles – scènde d’ouverture», «Trompette de la garde», «Reine audu»

Par Où T’es Rentré? On T’a Pas Vu Sortir (Alan Silvestri, [1984] 2025)

Aka How Did You Get In? We Didn’t See You Leave, a cumbersome title for this forgettable 80s French-US comedy about the adventures of a private dick – played by none other than Jerry Lewis. Alan Silvestri’s score, however, is one of his best. Delightfully funky Linndrum loops, combined with infectious Synclavier excursions, constitute the meat of the score, with the occasional orchestral track – typical of the composer’s work at the time. He wanted to showcase both sides. This obscurity, however, is one of the most consistent in style and tone. Only available on vinyl for years, it has now had its premiere CD release on Music Box Records, and is a must-have for any fan of the composer’s synth stylings. Favourite tracks:«Les Inspaghettibles contre le Front de résistance du couscous»,«Kasbah City», «Les filles à la piscine»