In the Blink of an Eye, Les Immortelles and more
The latest Thomas Newman/Andrew Stanton collaboration, In the Blink of an Eye, is covered – alongside a few lesser known works. Something for both the synth heads and orchestral fans in this batch.
Gunyo Cholo: The Dress (Marcello De Francisci, 2025)
This is a Nepalese film about a young boy who is cast out for defying tradition, and is left mending for himself on the streets of Kathmandu. Music duties are outsourced to Italian composer Marcello De Francisci (previously unknown to me) who gets none other than Lisa Gerrard to provide vocals. The score is partly broad and ethereal, partly apprehensive and small, making use of chamber-sized ensembles with local Nepalese instrumentation. But the proper highlights are reached when Gerrard’s unmistakable voice gets to soar above or murmur below as a main melody line – carrying the boy’s defiant spirit on her own. The album is only 22 minutes long, but enough to tantalize. Favourite tracks: «You Created Me This Way», «Childbirth», «Growing Up»
Le cose non dette [The Things Left Unspoken] (Paolo Buonvino, 2026)
Italian drama film about a group of friends on holiday in Morocco, and the various tensions that exist between them. Composer Paolo Buonvino, with his telling last name, does indeed provide “fine wine” for this film – a type of warm and consonant orchestral score you can only find in Italy, really. Within the chamber orchestra setup, elegant piano, string and woodwind solos flourish, steeped deeply in minor mode. It’s more a wistful depiction of the relationships on display than the underlying tension. While largely mono-thematic, cautious variations strive for some sort of reconciliation – much like the characters in the film. Beautiful, little gem. Favourite tracks: «Le nostre vite», «Tangeri», «L’amore finito»
Les Immortelles [Stereo Girls] (Calypso Valois, 2025)
The second feature film of director Caroline Deruas Peano, which has enjoyed some success on the festival circuit, is set in the 90s and tells the story of two teenage girls who dream of moving to Paris to start a band. Makes sense, then, that the score by actress-composer Calypso Valois is drenched in that melancholic pop-meets-chanson sound that only the French know how do to (properly). Think Yann Tiersen via Maud Geffray to Dan Levy, expertly weaving synths with loungey baroque elements, a bit like Cat’s Eyes’ The Duke of Burgundy (2014). Always big and spacey in sound, with lullaby vocals, connoting the girls’ dreams and aspirations. Simply gorgeous. Favourite tracks: «Les Immortelles», «Le Coeur Arraché», «L’Homme Poisson»
Miss Austen (Dominik Scherrer, 2025)
For this historical BBC series, about Cassandra Austen – the sister of the (at the time of the story) late author Jane Austen – the producers turned to the always reliable Dominik Scherrer for the music. Scherrer, of course, seems to know his way around quasi-classical, romantic stylings, as exemplified by his work on Miss Marple, or various detective shows. In this case, the classical tropes circulate above a chugging, major-minor-undulating string motif, more contemporary in style (and not terribly exciting), but when he gets to strip things down, it works better. Reflective, bittersweet modulations for piano and strings, for example, that are breezy in tone and instantly infectious. Another solid effort from Scherrer. Favourite tracks: «The End Was Peaceful», «Reports from Godmersham», «Farewell, Sister»
The Abnormal Beauty Company (Todor Kobakov, 2026)
This documentary by Aref Mahabadi, available on Prime Video, tells the story of skincare brand The Ordinary, and the rise and fall of the company and its founder. Bulgarian-Canadian composer Todor Kobakov provides a thrilling synth score that plays around with the story’s technological backdrop, the brand’s development, ripe with funky beats, high-pitched sequencers and more dreamy, melancholic segments – augmented by acoustic colours, like piano and strings. Be aware that Kobakov has also released a Volume 2 album that showcases more of the acoustic and downbeat elements. Each of them work as concept albums in their own right, but the 36-minute first volume is the best, at least for the synth heads among us. Favourite tracks: «The People Company», «Founding Team», «The Spark»
Industry (Nathan Micay, 2026)
This is an ongoing British financial thriller series (which began airing in 2020), created by and featuring a group of young investment bankers. Shame on me for only discovering it now, as it enters its fourth season, because Nathan Micay’s excellent synth score ticks off most of the boxes – throbbing rhythms for money changing hands, acidic, circular sequencers, lofty chord modulations on top. And hey – a delightful take on Wendy Carlos’ A Clockwork Orange! Micay, who’s based in Berlin, delighted me with his score for Time Bomb Y2K in 2023, and now he delivers again. You obviously also need to check out the three previous season soundtracks, which contain more of Micay’s suggestive synth music. Favourite tracks: «There Is No Tender 2.0», «Sesquipedalian», «The Funeral of Queen Mary»
Balandrau: Viento Salvaje [Balandrau: Where the Fierce Wind Blew] (Arnau Bataller, 2026)
It’s been a while since Arnau Bataller impressed me mightily with Ermessanda (2011). But now he returns to form with this Spanish survival drama about a group of mountaineers facing a snow storm on the Balandrau peak in the Pyrenees. Kicking off with a gorgeous choral overture (or perhaps a requiem?), it soon ventures into an expansive orchestral theme for the human spirit, which is then thoughtfully varied throughout the remainder. Somewhat reminiscent of what James Horner did in the 90s, and wildly unusual in this day and age. The hour-long soundtrack does lose a bit of steam eventually, but with a little whittling (especially some of the slowly building sequences), the highlights remain bold and firm. Should appeal to fans of old-fashioned orchestral writing. Favourite tracks: «Balandrau», «Aixeca’t», «Crèdits finals»
In the Blink of an Eye (Thomas Newman, 2026)
Expectations were high for a new Thomas Newman/Andrew Stanton collaboration (Finding Nemo, WALL-E), but this Disney+ film about three different timelines – one pre-historic, one contemporary and one futuristic – didn’t really deliver on its ambitious promise, especially as it nears its sentimental close. Neither did the music, really. Two thirds of the album are situated within Newman’s Passengers style, with those spacey, ambient textures that are fine in and of themselves, but come off as rather static eventually…and they are not quite on Passengers level, anyway. But then suddenly, when you least expect it, it shifts gears towards the end, with a couple of cues that nurture his warmer, beautifully layered Americana style. Much like White Bird (2023), there’s a pretty good album hiding in here if you’re up for some playlisting. Favourite tracks: «Double Helix», «Left Palm», «Good Fortune»
