[3] Jóhann Jóhannsson was involved in pre-production for Arrival, and took early influence for the score from the film's script, concept art and initial discussions with director Denis Villeneuve about its mood and themes.

[6][7] Arrival was shot without temp music, which meant Jóhann needed to have material ready before the editing process; he also noted that this approach required "good rapport and communication between the three of [them]".

[8] He likened the resultant "Morse code-like phrases" to "the babbling of a new infant trying to understand – or subconsciously absorb – the basic structure of a language", further reflecting the themes of the film.

[6] For the score's orchestral and choral writing, he consulted the work of composers such as Grisey, Giacinto Scelsi, Michael Gordon, Georg Friedrich Haas and Meredith Monk.

AllMusic critic Rob Wacey hailed the soundtrack as both "a fantastic album and a great piece of film score work, delivering menacing, daunting cacophonies of noise that evoke all types of fear, wonder, and intrigue that are evident within the movie itself".

[22] The soundtrack was ruled ineligible for contention at the 89th Academy Awards, due to the film's prominent use of the Max Richter piece "On the Nature of Daylight" in its opening and final scenes.