The Incomer by Tom Kingston
Sometimes you stumble on a film that you wish had been enjoyed by a wider audience - there is no better example than The Incomer. A film from my native Scotland, this was one that I was lucky to catch at my local Everyman Cinema through their Beyond strand. My husband and I went in knowing next to nothing about the film and were delighted to discover a quirky, funny, moving and emotional film about the nature of home and the power of stories with brilliant performances by Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin and Grant O’Rourke. The film follows Gleeson’s awkward local authority land recovery coordinator Daniel as he arrives on the remote Scottish island - Auke Isle - that has been home to siblings Isla and Sandy for their full lives. They will stop at nothing to defend their way of life from island incomers but he is soon charmed by their way of life and connections are formed that begin to challenge the very notion of home and happiness. Be rest assured, we laughed, we jumped out our seats at points and I was a bit of an emotional mess at the end with a (happy) tear or two to wipe away.
The music is by Tom Kingston, not a composer I had previously been aware of, but now someone I’ll be listening out for in anticipation moving forward. Before diving into the music, it’s important to reference the visual significance of the film, the views of the Scottish island are stunning; whether leaning into their beauty, hinting at their darkness or exploring it’s mystical nature the visuals and the sound play such a vital role in connecting with the film. Kingston’s score builds on this and envelopes the audience in the film both from a sensory perspective by crafting music that is so rooted in place but also music that chimes so beautifully with the characters who are impossible not to like and care about.
The film - and the score album - open with Morning Isla, Morning Sandy and it’s instantly doing what I mentioned above. A percussive arrangement with a thudding drum beat is punctuated with the quirkiest of plucked strings and a strange vocal performance with a lovely Scottish lilt to the voice as it chants what initially appears to be random words, but when you listen closely it appears to be forming some sort of story. At around one minute, a violin theme joins the mix which while adding to the quirky nature of the characters, the situation and the music, suggests there’s a sadness, a pathos lurking within this situation. As a listening experience, it’s a fun opening track, but within the film it’s a powerful supporter of the film’s opening - at risk of repeating myself already, brilliantly rooted in location and character. Lonesome Again is a short but important track as it helps the film look past the opening quirk and wonder and consider more depth in terms of characters. An achingly beautiful track that feels and sounds very Scottish with sombre strings and percussion, it looks beyond that initial humorous reaction for Isla and Sandy’s way of life and begins to hint at a deeper story, something rooted in loneliness and the consequence of isolation that will become pivotal to the film’s emotional narrative. My only complaint about this track? It’s too short.
The Story of Auke Isle is longer track and the music here is key to exploring how interlinked the characters of Sandy and Isla are with the island and how they have known nothing else in their lives and Kingston finds such a delicate balance here as the film peels back the layers around that story and hints at that pathos that exists in terms of characterisation. There is a return to that opening quirkiness thanks to the constant plucking of some sort of stringed instrument that forms the foundation of the track, but over the top the use of strings, never overplayed, strikes a balance between sinister and sad. It’s so hard to explain without listening to it and within the film, the complexity and the role of the music is a joy to behold. This track is key as it opens up that exploration of the importance of story telling and the role the characters play in their own stories; past and future.
Tom Kingston
Following the delightfully fun but too short I’m A Wizard where Kingston once again plucks strings with percussion very much rooted in the setting of the film along with a lovely traditional string crescendo and clearly has a lot of fun doing so, The Way Of The Gull is another brilliant track. It’s almost like being at a ceilidh - non Scottish people, give it a search and then feel instantly jealous if you’ve never been to one! The piece of music scores Daniel’s engagement with their island ways and after some pieces of music that hint at something darker, this piece captures the innocence and simplicity of how Isla and Sandy live their lives - there is a repeated structure adding to that feeling of being part of a dance with a lightness that is intoxicating and hard to resist in terms of tapping your foot. But like all the brilliant music in this score, there is still that ever so subtle hint at a pathos, well paced though as the film, nor the score, are ready to embrace that element of characterisation just yet. I’m Flying is a key track in charting Daniel’s narrative journey as he looks beyond the initial fear and strangeness of what he finds on the island and begins to embrace the possibility of something more. The opening to the track is like something that you might hear in a horror film with growing sinister strings with a subtle and sinister drumbeat punctuating it, however those strings do not build to the conclusion you would expect, instead transitioning into something warmer and inspiring, the drum beat disappears and the strings highlight Daniel’s courage and pride in the moment where he embraces their challenge and realises something about himself in the process - that transition from darkness to light is skillful film scoring in action. This is followed by And The Gulls Were Three which is a fun little track, again returning to that ceilidh feel with plucking instrumentation along with some lovely repeated bells, it’s a cute moment in the film where the three characters genuinely bond and Kingston’s score really adds to the warmth of the moment for the audience.
Isla Learns to Swim is a beautiful track that arrives as the film begins to hint at the possibility of a more romantic connection between Isla and Sandy. There is a softness to the track that really envelops the listener as Isla allows herself to be enveloped by both the water and her growing trust in Daniel. It’s almost the perfect combination between fairytale-esque music and something delicate and romantic. An achingly emotive piece. For balance, Bird Attack! is a track straight out of horror cinema that Hitchcock himself would approve of. A pulsating combination of classic horror strings with a constant percussive undertone with strings that you would expect to hear in an episode of The X Files - while in the film, the titular bird attack is played somewhat for laughs, the fact that Kingston takes it musical seriously is key. He keeps the music rooted in the soundscape he has created throughout the score and refuses to laugh at the situation, so the fact he produces a piece of music which could easily function in a traditional horror score, makes the scene all the more effective. By ignoring the joke, he makes the whole thing funnier and more engaging for the audience. A brilliant example of knowing how significant film music can be to an audience’s experience.
The remainder of the score is what is primarily responsible for my reaching for the tissues to dab my eyes somewhat - coupled with absolutely brilliant performances, the music adds a layer of real heart and emotional to the film’s concluding sequences. Home/Sandy’s Decision is both beautiful and disturbing as conversations about the nature and the power of home take a very sinister turn and Sandy makes a desperately dark decision. Sinister strings replace warm strings, a dark drumbeat replaces a hopeful one within the same piece of music, while the end of the track is powerful in terms of how it serves the narrative as it fades out subtly and quietly, hinting at something ending in a tragic way. Again, hard to explain, but please listen out for it. You’ll hear what I mean. Home - Reprise returns to that sombre motif first explored in Lonesome Again and embraces the heart and emotion of it more fully. It’s a key moment in the film where Isla makes a significant choice and it works wonderfully. I just wish this track was longer - I love it too much for it to be only 1.16 in length!
Like all good stories, the ending is important. Kingston’s final two tracks are a real treat. I’m keen to avoid spoiling the end of the film but rest assured that the music plays a vital role in that narrative emotion I have more than hinted at. The Gulls Take Flight is fun, traditional and so rooted in character and setting with an achingly lovely combination of strings and percussion with that dance like motif returning to anchor the track. It plays in tandem with voiceover and montage in the film and I cannot emphasise enough how effective it is. The layers of music are skillful and sophisticated while staying true to the music journeys and avenues the entire score has previously explored while also feeling truly conclusive in it’s combination of all of those - it’s warm, inspiring, fun, quirky and powerfully emotive as a piece of music. One of my favourite pieces of film music of 2026 - and I’m not just saying that because I’m Scottish. Epilogue (Credits) plays over the short epilogue and then the end credits which are well worth sitting through as they are a lovely narrative extension of the film with some delightful animations. It’s a piece that captures the heart of the film with both light and dark with a real bombastic confidence while never betraying the heart and emotive connection with character and setting that the score has created.
When I first started writing these reviews and reflections and making film score playlists, it was just for fun and because it makes me happy doing so. I never anticipated any impact beyond my occasional smile. But sitting watching this film reminded me of something, there are brilliant films and brilliant film scores out there that sometimes pass us by. It just takes a little recommendation, a little encouragement to try something different and a little courage to choose the lesser known film over the widely seen blockbuster to discover something absolutely brilliant. Consider this your little bit of encouragement - seek out this film, seek out this score, I promise that you’ll not be disappointed.
One of my favourite films and scores of the year. Tom Kingston will be a composer I intend to follow with interest moving forward, and until then? Let the gulls take flight! Happy listening!
Favourite Tracks: Lonesome Again, The Story of Auke Isle, Isla Learns to Swim, Birds Attack! and The Gulls Take Flight