Here are all the Oscar nominees for Best Original Score and where to listen to them

Features
By published

There are five killer scores, but only one can bring home the trophy

PETER DREIMANIS as Bert, JACK O’CONNELL as Remmick, HAILEE STEINFELD as Mary, and LOLA KIRKE in "Sinners" movie
(Image credit: Eli Adé / Warner Bros. Pictures)

Film scores are more than just backing tracks to the latest Hollywood blockbuster. They establish the tone of the film and help convey the emotions being portrayed on the screen. They’re so important that they have their own category at the Oscars.

Films nominated for this year’s awards include the soundtracks for "Bugonia," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "One Battle after Another," and "Sinners."

While all the scores bring something new to the table, only one can win — and I think I know which one that is…

'Bugonia,' Jerskin Fendrix

"Bugonia" is a film about alien invaders…or high-profile CEOs… or maybe the whole thing is just a thinly veiled allegory about how completely out-of-touch the wealthy elite are.

I’ll let you be the judge when you watch it for yourself.

As for "Bugonia’s" soundtrack, composed by Jerskin Fendrix, it’s available on all the major music streaming platforms — Spotify and Apple Music included — but honestly, the fastest way to pull it up is YouTube. Sony Soundtrack’s VEVO account posted the entire thing for free.

'Frankenstein,' Alexandre Desplat

IT’S ALIVE! The latest adaptation of the 200-year-old tale of father and son, creator and created, and two monsters figuring out how to navigate a society in which neither belong was released on Netflix back in October of 2025. The soundtrack became available shortly after on all major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and TIDAL.

At 37 tracks, it’s nearly two full hours of haunting orchestral action. That’s a bit excessive for me personally, but don’t let me yuck your yum.

'Hamnet,' Max Richter

The classical soundtrack for Chloé Zhao’s feel-good, feel-bad film about Shakespeare’s marriage and time as a father hits all the right notes. Composed by Max Richter, the score has 21 tracks — 18 of which can be streamed on Spotify. (For the other three, you’ll have to listen to YouTube Music.)

If you have time, however, you might want to listen to the Dolby Creator Talks interview with Max Richter on YouTube. It’s 28 minutes long, but if you’re curious about how it all came together, it’s worth listening to.

'One Battle after Another,' Jonny Greenwood

If you caught a hint of Radiohead in "One Battle after Another’s" musical score, it wasn’t just your imagination — the film’s composer, Jonny Greenwood, is the band’s long-time lead guitarist and multi-instrumentalist.

Backed by the London Contemporary Orchestra and conductor Hugh Tieppo-Brunt, this soundtrack is unsettling in the best way, just like Radiohead. It’s probably my second favorite of all the nominees, and it’s available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

'Sinners,' Ludwig Goransson

It should come as no surprise that the horror film that makes no bones about how Black artists shaped American music is the best of the bunch.

A mix of gospel, blues, country and R&B, it’s just superb in every way. It’s not just good for a soundtrack, it’s good as a standalone music album, too. I’ll be shocked if it doesn’t win for best musical score.

Stream it now on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, or pick up a copy of it on CD over at Amazon.

BONUS: "Golden" from 'KPop Demon Hunters'

“Golden” Official Lyric Video | KPop Demon Hunters | Sony Animation - YouTube “Golden” Official Lyric Video | KPop Demon Hunters | Sony Animation - YouTube
Watch On

While "KPop Demon Hunters" soundtrack wasn’t nominated for Best Original Score, the film’s unbelievably catchy hit single “Golden” has been nominated for Best Original Song at the upcoming awards.

If you don’t already have it burned into your brain, now’s the time to check it out. You can thank me later.

Google News

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.

More from Tom's Guide

TOPICS
Nick Pino
Nick Pino
Managing Editor, TV and AV

Nick Pino heads up the TV and AV verticals at Tom's Guide and covers everything from OLED TVs to the latest wireless headphones. He was formerly the Senior Editor, TV and AV at TechRadar (Tom's Guide's sister site) and has previously written for GamesRadar, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade. Not sure which TV you should buy? Drop him an email or tweet him on Twitter and he can help you out.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.