Taika Waititi’s ‘Klara And The Sun’ soundtrack proves his indie kid credentials

Adapted from Japanese-British writer Kazuo Ishiguro’s offbeat sci-fi novel, Klara And The Sun stars Jenna Ortega as a humanoid robot companion whose main talent is an unfailing ability to nail the perfect deadpan one-liner – and then make you cry just moments later. If you’ve watched any of director Taika Waititi’s other films – dark satire Jojo Rabbit, screwball adventure Hunt For The Wilderpeople – then you’ll know this signature blend of pathos and comedy well. Read more: The best films of 2026… so far! Waititi has other skills too, though. He knows his way around an indie banger better than most. Take Klara And The Sun, which is crammed full with hooky guitar bops (Television’s late ‘70s gem ‘Days’), bold art-pop (‘Fistful Of Love’ by Antony & The Johnsons) and alternative tunes such as Violent Femmes’ 1983 cult classic ‘Good Feeling’. That last one, Waititi tells us, is particularly special to him. “That’s one of my favourite songs of all time,” he says, “I never thought I’d ever have an opportunity to put one of their songs in one of my films. Moments in my life are accompanied by bands like Pixies, Pavement, Femmes, Nirvana. I was very much into indie.” Like any true ind...