"Night Swim" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Night Swim (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

What if the score didn’t just underscore the water — it sounded like the water thinking back at you? Arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse: Night Swim builds its dread on Mark Korven’s subaqueous palette and a handful of needle-drops that bait you with nostalgia before dragging you under.

The Waller family’s backyard pool promises therapy and normalcy; the soundtrack says otherwise. Korven’s strings quiver like metal ladders; low brass grumbles like drain pipes; human voices smear into a “drowned choir.” When songs intrude — a 70s folk wink, 80s metal bravado — they feel like surface sheen over a hungry depth. The official score album arrived release week, while source songs pepper the film and credits.

What sets this one apart is the water-first design. The composer’s toolbox leans toward bowed textures and detuned resonance; the song picks skew ironic: “The Swimming Song” sells safety just long enough for the pool to bite; a Judas Priest blast front-loads Ray’s denial. As per the film’s notes, Korven’s the right kind of unnerving, and the song choices tilt retro to match Ray’s fixation on the past.

Genres & themes (in phases): aqueous horror score — the pool as predator; 70s folk — innocent surface; 80s/early-80s metal — bravado and regression; ambient/drone interludes — memory loops; end-credits alt-pop — darkly playful release.

How It Was Made

Writer-director Bryce McGuire tapped Mark Korven for a “sounds-like-water” concept — the score should feel born from the pool: creaks, choral smears, and pressure waves. Music supervision (by John Bissell) threads a few recognizable cuts through the story so the film can snap from domestic realism into myth without losing tone. The result: licensed songs as decoys; score as the true antagonist’s voice.

Release-wise, the official album is an all-score digital set (Back Lot Music), timed to opening day. A couple of in-film songs and an original end-credits track live outside the album, so fans piece the “full” soundtrack via playlists and credits.

Tracks & Scenes

Score cue: “Opening” — Mark Korven
Where it plays: Establishing dread — the camera treats the pool like a mouth. Tense harmonics, breathy choir, low brass throbs. Non-diegetic, first minutes.
Why it matters: Declares the movie’s rules: the water has agency, and it’s listening.

“The Swimming Song” — Loudon Wainwright III
Where it plays: Cheerful needle-drop over family-life beats and therapy talk; the lyric about learning to swim rubs against ominous inserts. Diegetic-adjacent (radio/house speakers vibe).
Why it matters: A bright folk tune used as a horror feint — innocence as camouflage.

“You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” — Judas Priest
Where it plays: Ray’s swagger switch flips — post-therapy high, grill sizzling, pool lights twinkling; that chugging riff sells confidence. Mostly diegetic with montage bleed.
Why it matters: 80s-metal bravado equals denial; the cue paints the before in bold colors.

Score cue: “Ray’s Fall” — Mark Korven
Where it plays: Turning-point plunge; underwater POV, muffled panic, sudden silence. Non-diegetic, built on bowed-metal shrieks and sub-bass pulses.
Why it matters: The moment the pool wins — sound design and score merge.

Score cue: “Nostalgia” — Mark Korven
Where it plays: Family memory montage and false calm; choir pads drift like fog over water. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: The score tempts characters (and viewers) to let their guard down.

“Deeper” — Even Beyond Even Beyond
Where it plays: End credits single — nocturnal pop with a sub-bass undertow; title on the nose, in a fun way. Non-diegetic, first credit crawl.
Why it matters: A wink of release that keeps the aquatic motif humming as you exit.

Score cue: “The Deep Water” — Mark Korven
Where it plays: Final-act stalking under colored pool lights; rising clusters, pressure-wave hits, and chorus like voices from drains. Non-diegetic.
Why it matters: The score becomes the location — every swell feels architectural.

Trailer/non-album notes: Marketing cuts lean on Korven’s brooding cue stems and a few recognizable needle-drops; the water’s “voice” is already the star.

Notes & Trivia

• Composer Mark Korven (of The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Black Phone) crafts the score as if it were “sung by the pool.”
• Music supervision by John Bissell threads a small set of needle-drops through the domestic beats and credits.
• The official album is all score (15 tracks, ~39 minutes) on Back Lot Music; songs like the Judas Priest cut and the credits single sit outside it.
• The film sprinkles retro songs — especially 80s rock/metal — to echo Ray’s pull toward the past.
• A few cues use choral textures treated to sound submerged — think “drowned choir” more than standard strings.

Music–Story Links

Wainwright’s sunny folk tune makes the pool feel safe — a setup the film promptly betrays. When Judas Priest roars, Ray’s mojo outpaces reality; it’s character psychology by way of a guitar riff. Each time Korven’s chorus surges, domestic drama collapses into myth; the family isn’t just in danger — they’re inside the instrument making it. The credits bop “Deeper” functions like a pressure valve: after the last scare, it releases tension while keeping the theme (water, depths, danger) in your ears.

Reception & Quotes

Reviews were mixed on the film but consistently singled out the sound design and score mood. The album dropped day-and-date for easy post-screening immersion. According to the label notes and trade coverage, Back Lot’s release framed Korven’s cues as a self-contained listen — an “aquatic horror suite.”

“Korven’s score sounds born of the water — unearthly, queasy, effective.” album/score roundups

“A haunted-pool movie where the pool does most of the talking — via the music.” capsule comments

“The needle-drops are bait; the score is the hook.” fan shorthand

Interesting Facts

• The score album arrived digitally on the film’s U.S. opening day with 15 cues (Back Lot Music).
• “Deeper” (Even Beyond Even Beyond) serves as a contemporary credits song that isn’t on the score album.
• IMDb’s song ledger also tags a few cheeky inclusions, including a vintage folk swimming tune and 80s metal.
• Korven’s cue names (“Ray’s Fall,” “The Deep Water,” “Nostalgia”) telegraph plot beats and emotional traps.
• The movie’s marketing used Korven’s ominous stems more than big radio hits — the water had to “speak” first.

Technical Info

• Title: Night Swim (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
• Year / Type: 2024 — Film score album (Mark Korven) with additional licensed songs in-film
• Composer: Mark Korven
• Music Supervision: John Bissell
• Label: Back Lot Music (digital)
• Release: January 5, 2024 (album); film U.S. release January 5, 2024
• Selected placements: “The Swimming Song” (domestic calm fake-out); “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” (Ray’s swagger beat); “Deeper” (end credits); Korven cues: “Opening,” “Ray’s Fall,” “Nostalgia,” “The Deep Water.”
• Availability: Streaming on major services; no separate various-artists songs album.
• Studios/Distrib: Atomic Monster & Blumhouse; Universal Pictures (theatrical).

Questions & Answers

Who composed the score for Night Swim?

Mark Korven — his palette leans bowed metal, low-brass groans, and submerged choral textures.

Is there a full songs compilation?

No — only the score album released commercially; individual source songs live outside it.

What’s the end-credits track?

“Deeper” by Even Beyond Even Beyond — a moody alt-pop closer.

What’s the ironic “happy” song everyone noticed?

“The Swimming Song” (Loudon Wainwright III) — used as a cheery feint against the film’s dread.

Where can I listen to the score?

On major platforms under Night Swim (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Mark Korven.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Apple Music album page; Film Music Reporter (album details); Universal’s official trailer; Wikipedia (film & music notes); Spotify album page; YouTube single “Deeper” by Even Beyond Even Beyond; music department credits listings.

November, 18th 2025