Awards Season 2025: Best Original Scores at the BAFTAs and the Oscars

For my second of three consecutive duo interviews, I chat with composers Aaron May and David Ridley. While they've been composing together for a while, their biggest project is also their most recent - the viral Netflix series Adolescence, from director Philip Barantini and starring Stephen Graham. It's not surprise, then, that we spend a lot of our chat talking about the series, including working in the single take, real time format, understanding that the series might not need score at all, and the genesis of the child vocalization that forms an integral part of their score's palette. Dave has also scored all of Phil's projects, with Aaron also scoring all but the first two, so we discuss this long term director combination as well as how the two work together (and work separately). This is one of the more tangential conversations I've had - Aaron and Dave warned me beforehand that it might happen, but I certainly instigated it! I should have known it was coming when we lost track of time before recording talking about East Anglia and the British ritual/folk year. Shame that wasn't recorded too... Aaron and Dave's score is available on all major platforms, as are their other scores and their debut solo albums (each released in 2023). Adolescence is currently on Netflix, and there are rumors that a second season may come (though this would at least be a surprise to me). You can find out more about Aaron and Dave on their joint website.

Although we're now a couple months into 2025, I finally present you with the "best" film scores of 2024. As usual, there are some very mainstream scores in here that most observers would agree with and there are a few left field choices. If you're a longtime listener, that shouldn't surprise you. As with all of these lists, although I say they're the "best", what I really mean is these are my favorites. Who's to say what's really the best? Surely not me. If you can't control yourself, look below to see what scores I picked, though you'll miss out on the why of it all. And make sure to check out my conversation with David Rosen (from Piecing It Together) to see what we think are the best film scores of the decade (so far). Evil Does Not Exist – Eiko Ishibashi Smile 2 – Cristobal Tapia de Veer Megalopolis - Osvaldo Golijov AGGRO DR1FT – AraabMuzik Dune 2 – Hans Zimmer The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Le Comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) - Jerome Rebotier Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - John Paesano A Different Man – Umberto Smerilli

It's a bit worrying to realize that we're now over halfway through the 2020s - where has the time gone? Well, I suppose we all know one collective reason why it feels like a blur... But rather than lament the passage of time, I've decided to celebrate what's been released during the last five years; specifically, celebrating the "best" film scores of the decade, so far. Joining me in this endeavor is David Rosen, a fellow podcast host and film composer. Dave and I have "known" each other virtually for a few years now and this gave us a good reason to hop on video for a little while. I'll also give a shout out to Dave's primary podcast, Piecing It Together, where he and various guest hosts look at what past films (the puzzle pieces) have inspired the films of today (the puzzle). It's a pretty cool show, even if I've always been too hesitant to hop on and join for an episode. If you don't want to listen, you can see each of our lists below (though you'll miss out on the why of the choices, which is most of the fun). My list isn't presented in any particular order while Dave's is presented in descending order, saving the best for last. Don't be shy, feel free to chime in (whether commenting on this episode, dm, or calling me out publicly) with some of your favorite scores of the decade too. Nick's List: Blonde – Nick Cave and Warren Ellis Drive My Car – Eiko Ishibashi Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson The Batman – Michael Giacchino Dune (Parts 1 and 2) – Hans Zimmer The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg The Green Knight – Daniel Hart The Personal History of David Copperfield – Christopher Willis Cryptozoo – John Carroll Kirby Smile 2 – Cristobal Tapia de Veer Dave’s List: 10. Challengers – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross 9. Gretel and Hansel – Rob 8. The Last Duel – Harry Gregson-Williams 7. Minari – Emile Mosseri 6. The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg 5. Smile 2 – Cristobal Tapia de Veer 4. Conclave – Volker Bertelmann 3. A Different Man – Umberto Smerilli 2. Windfall – Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans 1. Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson

In an absolute coincidence, during International Women's Month Meg Remy (U.S. Girls) and Grace Glowicki join me on The Film Scorer Podcast! Our primary focus is the film Dead Lover, for which Grace is director, co-writer, and lead actress and Meg provided most of the score. As such, we talk about the film itself, the music (and how Meg and Grace worked together on it, trying to find a unifying style), and the benefit of having a female director and composer working together on a female-centric film. The reason I say that Meg provided most of the score is because of the unusual approach they took to music on the film. Dead Lover is set in a sort of kaleidoscopic Victorian England that constantly jumps around in palette, tone, and style, and with added influences like German Expressionism and silent film. So Meg wrote original music, but also started pulled old music she'd written 15-20 years ago sitting unused on hard drives and scouring public domain music as well. While the final music is incredibly diverse, jumping from opera to 70s prog doom, they manage to unify it and make it all work. Meg's score release is forthcoming (I believe), but her other music is available on all major platforms. Dead Lover is currently on the festival circuit, including at SXSW on March 9. You can find out more about Meg/U.S. Girls on her website.

Rihards Zalupe joins The Film Scorer Podcast! Rihards' latest score is for the Oscar and BAFTA nominated animated film Flow, which he co-composed with the film's writer and director Gints Zilbalodis. As such, Rihards and I spend much of our conversation talking about the score, including creating themes or specific sonic palette choices for each of the film's different animal main characters, co-composing a score with the film's director (which was also Gints' first time working with a composer on one of his films), and how Cat has become one of Latvia's national heroes. Rihards' score, and much of his other music, is available on all major platforms. Flow is available on demand or streaming on HBO Max. You can find out more about Rihards on his website.

The BAFTAs air on February 16 and the Oscars on March 2. I'd never consider myself a big awards season guy, but I love that it's the one time of year where film music is widely celebrated and has a little spotlight, if only briefly. As such, here's a little peek into the six nominated scores between the two awards. I've also done interviews on two of the six nominated scores (The Wild Robot and The Brutalist) and also interviewed Volker Bertelmann a little while back about his BAFTA and Oscar winning score for All Quiet on the Western Front, so seek those out as well BAFTAs: Nosferatu – Robin Carolan Emilia Perez– Camille and Clément Ducol Conclave – Volker Bertelmann The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg Oscars: Wicked  – John Powell and Stephen Schwartz Emilia Perez– Camille and Clément Ducol Conclave – Volker Bertelmann The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg  

Although we've just entered 2025, this series is deep in the middle of 2024. The months of April, May, and June released some of my favorite scores of the year (feel free to guess which) as well as arguably the most popular score of the year in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's Challengers, and plenty more scores, both big and small. I also noticed that I've interviewed almost a third of the composers mentioned during this period - I still get surprised now and again with just how many folks I've interviewed! Keep your eye on The Film Scorer website for reviews and articles covering some of these scores, including detailed writeups and lists. April: https://thefilmscorer.com/the-best-film-scores-of-april-2024/  For a full list of the scores discussed in this episode, see below: Challengers - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Confidenza - Thom Yorke Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter 1 - John Debney The Dead Don't Hurt - Viggo Mortensen Le Comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) - Jerome Rebotier Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - John Paesano Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Tom Holkenborg Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver - Tom Holkenborg Young Woman and the Sea - Amelia Warner The Rooster - Stefan Gregory The Swimming Diaries - Donna McKevitt Evil Does Not Exist - Eiko Ishibashi The First Omen - Mark Korven All You Need Is Death - Ian Lynch I Saw the TV Glow - Alex G The Glassworker - Carmine Di Florio and Usman Riaz Back to Black - Nick Cave and Warren Elli Sasquatch Sunset - The Octopus Project Civil War - Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury We Grown Now - Jay Wadley Unfrosted - Christophe Beck The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - Christopher Benstead If - Michael Giacchino Hit Man - Graham Reynolds

In a quick 1-2 punch after talking with Daniel Blumberg (The Brutalist), Bryce Dessner (The National, The Revenant, The Two Popes) joins The Film Scorer podcast! Bryce released two scores last year, for the films Sing Sing and We Live In Time. However, Bryce and I were under a tight time constraint and so had to pick and choose what we chatted about; no time for a classic rambling conversation. As such, we spend much of our conversation covering his score for Sing Sing. This includes, among other things, choosing to focus the music on nature and escapism (rather than the more obvious matching of the prison setting), making space for the performers, and the film's equitable compensation system. Of course, we still manage to pack a lot in, so we cover quite a bit more as well, both about Sing Sing and various unexpected topics. Bryce's score, and much of his other music, is available on all major platforms. Sing Sing was released earlier last year and will be re-released in theaters (at least in the US) on January 1. You can find out more about Bryce on his website.

Much to my dismay, The Brutalist is not an industrial grindcore band. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to talk about it. As such, composer Daniel Blumberg joins the show! It should be no surprise, then, that we spend much of our time talking about his BAFTA and Academy Award winning and Golden Globe nominated score to Brady Corbet's 3.5 hour epic, which is only Daniel's second feature score. This includes discussing the balance between improvisational and written music (especially when scoring to picture), using prepared piano to mirror the imagery and plot of the film, and how he and the sound design team overlapped their crafts to confuse the audience (and some of the other crew). Of course, we chat about a bunch of other things in between. Daniel's score, and much of his other music, is available on all major platforms. The Brutalist is forthcoming, currently in limited theatrical release and will expand shortly.

Composer Donna McKevitt joins The Film Scorer Podcast! Donna is someone that I've chatted to here and there over the last few years, so it was a treat having her on the show and finally getting the chance to "meet" her. Her latest scores are for The Swimming Diaries and My Name is Alfred Hitchcock, two very different documentaries and very different scores. Unsurprisingly, we spend much of our conversation talking about those two works, while also pivoting into other topics like the discrepancy in representation of male and female composers, the challenges that touring musicians face (and how much better things used to be, such as during her time in Miranda Sex Garden), and plenty more. Donna's scores, and much of her other music, is available on all major platforms. The Swimming Diaries and My Name is Alfred Hitchcock are both forthcoming. You can find out more about Donna on her website.