7/10

The Scottish post-rockers Mogwai are no stranger to the film score. Mixed around the releases of their brilliant studio albums of the last decade, you'll find a bundle of film, documentary and TV series soundtracks that have pushed the ambitions of the band into new territory, opening up their distinctive and atmospheric sound into new mediums. But despite their experience in this field, the band have now released their most high-profile score to date, accompanying the release of the new sci-fi film 'Kin'.

As far as broad and electrifying soundscapes go, Mogwai seem like they could make these in their sleep. Not to say that the process is easy to create, but they certainly seem to make it feel so. From the start, 'Kin' looks to be focused mainly on the stripped-back piano sound of their style, bringing in the distorted electronics and the thunderous drums sparsely throughout. This is obviously been designed to set the tone of the new film, but in the process, makes for a highly succinct listen as the group add a progressive edge to each single, allowing them to grow in both sound and ambition as they play.

Even if it didn't have the attachment to a major Hollywood movie, this would still stand out amongst the Mogwai back catalogue. The band have brought a wealth of knowledge and musical interest to this release, and produced a score that is both heartfelt and euphoric in equal measure.