Photo: Marine Benjamin
Oklou returns to announce the original score and reveal the tracklisting for In Waves, premiering on Netflix and streaming December 11th, with pre-orders available today. Directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen and adapted from illustrator AJ Dungo’s celebrated graphic memoir, the California surf-themed animated feature was scored and performed by Oklou alongside fellow French artist ROB. Together, they capture the full spectrum of emotions running through the story: the vital energy of youth and the burning desire to live, surf, and lose oneself, balanced against fragility, anxiety, and the confrontation with illness. Positioned at the intersection of orchestral, electronic, and pop music, the score shifts between grandeur and restraint, allowing simple, almost fragile melodies to emerge that strike close to the heart and give the film an emotional resonance of rare intensity.
Alongside today’s announcement, Oklou has unveiled the score’s lead track, 'the swirl ahead'. Opening with twinkling synths before swelling into a sweet crescendo, the song is also showcased in a new clip from the film available here.
Earlier this year, Oklou attended the world premiere of In Waves during the opening night of Critics' Week in Cannes,where the project made history as the first animated feature ever selected to open the sidebar.
The release of In Waves follows the second leg of Oklou’s world tour, which kicked off with her Coachella debut and wrapped up with two sold-out nights at New York’s Terminal 5, alongside a run of major summer festival appearances at Primavera Sound, We Love Green, Lollapalooza, and All Points East Festival.
Prior to this, Oklou’s acclaimed album choke enough, released via True Panther and Because Music—earned widespread critical praise as one of the year's most vital records. She expanded upon that release with choke enough (Deluxe) and delivered a standout Tiny Desk concert playing marimba and piano alongside an eight-piece choir. The deluxe edition introduced four new tracks that broadened the record's sonic world, highlighted by the single 'viscus' featuring FKA twigs.Oklou delved deeper into the deluxe project in a Pitchfork cover story, for which journalist Anna Gaca traveled to Pau,France, to join her on a summer retreat and reflect on her breakthrough year and artistic growth. She also appeared on the cover of Dazed Magazine, delivered acoustic guitar sessions for NTS and Quotidien, and recorded an unexpected cello cover of Plain White T’s 'Hey There Delilah' for Triple J.
Recognized among the best albums of the year by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Billboard, The FADER,NPR, Stereogum, and others. as well as winning France's Le Prix Joséphine Album of the Year award, choke enough has solidified Oklou's reputation as a premier outsider pop star. Following the album's success, she has garnered high-profile co-signs from Rosalía, Lorde, Billie Eilish, who noted, "Honestly, she’s the first thing that’s gotten me excited in a while," and Ethel Cain, who added, "I'm obsessed with this album, it's like if they made pop music for bugs".
Born Marylou Mayniel in rural western France, Oklou built her musical foundation on classical piano and cello before discovering a passion for electronic production and playing her earliest shows in Paris. Her 2020 mixtape Galore served as a creative breakthrough, fusing introspective songwriting with futuristic sound design, a release Dazed praised as,“sophisticated in its composition yet totally cutting edge in its sound.”
With choke enough, Oklou has established herself as one of modern music's most compelling voices, seamlessly uniting intimacy and innovation with fearless emotional clarity.
About In Waves:
Set against the sun-soaked surf culture of Southern California, In Waves is based on a true story and explores the joy of finding your soulmate, the courage required to live life to the fullest, and the enduring power of love to shape who we become and what we leave behind.
In Waves
Oklou and ROB
Dec 11th 2026
meeting the wave
the wave
kristen
sweet sixteen
miss you
abrazo
the swirl ahead
here
moon
family
morning
back
nyc
the wind
every second
the wave call
in waves
friends
the promise
fly again
lilac
piano song
