Presence, New Wave and more

Reviews on-the-go is a column that picks out a selection of soundtracks for single-paragraph “mini reviews”. Usually recent discoveries and releases, and usually recommendations, but not exclusively.

New Wave (Greg Bernall & Chris Upton, 2024)

A documentary on the Vietnamese New Wave music scene, of all things. There are no ska elements in Greg Bernall and Chris Upton’s score, as one would expect from the music genre on display – instead it provides gorgeous synthpop variations that capture the 80s in general, and the nostalgic musings of director and former New Waver Elizabeth Ai. From the dreamy opening to bursts of infectious grooves and basslines, the 29 minutes are part synthwave, part indiepop, part ambient. Presented in a dry mix, but with clean, open sound and no fuzz in sight, it instantly gets under your skin and stays there. New Wave is already a strong contender for the top 10 of the year, as far as I’m concerned (film had a limited festival release in 2024, but the soundtrack was released in 2025). Favourite tracks: «Summer Nights in Westminster», «Lynda’s Dressing Room», «There is a New Wave»

Presence (Zack Ryan, 2025)

Steven Soderbergh’s psychological horror film (the guy never stops exploring new genres!) takes the point of view of the ghost rather than the living, which in turns allows a score that goes less for the scares and more for the personal. Zack Ryan, a new composer in the Soderbergh world, crafts a soundscape that is largely based on piano, strings and woodwinds, cautiously exploring harmonic variations and melodic fragments. It’s only 17 minutes long, but manages to become an introspective, melancholic suite connoting loss and longing. Not unlike Daniel Hart’s score for the 2017 film A Ghost Story. It’s also carefully spotted in the film, delightfully free of stingers, affording the narrative an opportunity to breathe. Favourite tracks: «Presence», «Here»

Slocum et moi (Pascal le Pennec, 2024)

Veteran French director Jean-François Laguionie re-teams with composer Pascal le Pennec after their impressive Louise en hiver (2016) in this animated story about a boy and his father who build a boat in their garden. Le Pennec once again creates a colourful score with sprawling orchestrations reminiscent of his countrymen Maurice Ravel or Claude Debussy. Somewhat impressionistic in tone and style, he makes the most of his chamber sized ensemble, allowing reflective solo instruments like piano and woodwinds to take the fore on occasion – sprinkled with some Django Reinhardt-type jazz. Partly to capture childlike wonder, partly to construct a sonic space between dreams and reality. A beautifully intimate score. Favourite tracks: «La tempête», «Une enfance sur la Marne», «Adagio – Générique du fin»

Dark Sanctuary: The Story of the Church (Joe Virus, 2025)

A documentary that has nothing to do with the ecclesiastical, but rather a Dallas goth club called The Church, with its outsiders and misfits banding together. Composer Joe Virus (aka Joe Gonzales) is a longstanding DJ of said club, and tributes his venue with a punky, goth-infused synth score that lifts the roof. The goth element is found in the bottom register (like a brooding bassline or a dark male chorus), while the upper settles in epic, lush strings – skirting the boundaries of darkwave, but staying closer to old-school 90s trance. He periodically “muddies” things up by an array of oscillated sounds. Fun, but thankfully he opens up to broader soundscapes towards the end, for more variety. Certainly a highlight of 2025 for the synth heads among us. Favourite tracks: «Club Culture», «Sacred Domain», «Desert Redemption»

Krazy House (Michiel Marshman, 2024)

This horror comedy is the English-language debut of Dutch filmmakers Steffen and Flip, a spoof on 90s sitcoms like Full House and Family Matters (and a satire on Christianity) as it takes a violent turn midway. The schizophrenic nature is very much mirrored in Michiel Marshman’s score. Kicking off with a vintage 90s sitcom opening tune, it quickly does a 180 and plummets into dark basslines, chanting male chorus, church organ and eerie electronic textures. Despite the ominous ambiance, the score is surprisingly accessible via its deliberately ironic tone. Some of the repetitive, darker bits could perhaps have been weeded down for better flow, but overall an enjoyable electro-acoustic hybrid score for an entertaining film. Favourite tracks: «Krazy House The Suite Part 1», «Krazy House the Suite Part 7»

Drone (Paul Sabin, 2024)

French thriller about a young student who is inexplicably stalked by a drone. I wasn’t wowed by Paul Sabin’s work on the series Nudes (reviewed here), at least not compared to the material of Rob and Nousdeuxtheband, but this is on a whole other level. Fat, delicious synth grooves capturing both the student’s cam-girl activities and the technology of the drone. Sometimes counterpointed by quasi-classical piano undercurrents. The combination of relentless techno grooves and gentle human wistfulness becomes the score’s true value. Fittingly (per the film’s title), there are also several sound designy/droney tracks, especially towards the end, that can be weeded out for better musical flow. When playlisted (mine is 39 minutes), this is easily one of the highlight soundtracks of 2024. Favourite tracks: «Disco Mina», «Peri-Urban», «Dance With Me»

Noget i luften (Søren Hyldgaard, 2011)

Not a new title at all, but a Danish, romantic Christmas comedy from 2011, directed by Michael Asmussen. Søren Hyldgaard was one of the foremost Nordic composers until his untimely passing in 2018. Plantsound Records pays tribute to the late composer with this brand new, premiere release of Noget i luften [Something in the Air]. Only 20 minutes long (and as such available only digitally, not on CD), but a delightful throwback to the warm, symphonic drama scores that defined the 80s and 90s. Think Michael Gore’s Defending Your Life (1991) or Cliff Eidelman’s A Simple Twist of Fate (1994), for example. Consonant, highly melodic with added elements of drum kits and saxophone on occasion. A delightful, and somewhat bittersweet reminder of what once was. Favourite tracks: «Noget i luften», «Forældre», «Mitt livs kærlighed»