Euphoria's Music Explores the Labyrinth of the Teenage Experience

The HBO drama, Euphoria, has received copious amounts of praise since its release last summer. Championed for its excellent acting, storytelling, visuals, and approach to sensitive subject matter, the show was a hit among adults and teens, which has been reflected in awards such as Zendaya’s Primetime Emmy and multiple Primetime Creative Arts Emmys.

The show’s popularity extends further than just awards. Euphoria’s costuming and makeup are loved by fans and have become easily recognizable and even resulted in trends online. Replicating “Euphoria makeup” was popular on social media with individuals replicating some of the most creative make-up looks from the first season.

As much as I love the exciting makeup and costume choices, I think one of the strongest elements of the show is its original music. Written and produced by Labrinth, an English singer, songwriter, and producer, the soundtrack encapsulates the changing emotions and intensity of being a teenager. If you are unfamiliar with the show, Euphoria follows a group of high school students through their experiences of sex, drugs, friendships, love, identity, and trauma, so there is a lot of room for experimentation and creativity to produce music that captures these themes. When asked about the creation of the music in an interview with Rolling Stone, Labrinth stated, “I want it to feel almost mystical ’cause it does feel like that when you’re a teenager. Your whole existence is invested into this bubble that you’re in, and the bubble is so important. When you look back to your teenage days, it feels semi-magical but semi-crazy and semi-psychotic. I wanted to make sure the music felt like those things.”

The original music is a mix of instrumentals, instrumentals with limited lyrics, and a few longer tracks with full verses and choruses. The music is heavily influenced by hip-hop along with gospel-orchestra, which creates two general types of tracks: heavy hitters and dreamy arrangements. These types of pieces work extremely well in Euphoria’s chaotic teenage world of sex, drugs, and relationships. Many tracks feature changes of tempo and sound as they progress, expressing either different sides to the characters or a mix of emotions being felt.

I find it difficult to keep up with the amount of outstanding TV shows that people claim, “you just have to watch.” So, I didn’t actually watch the first season of Euphoria until this summer. However, I started listening to the soundtrack a few weeks before watching the show and found it enjoyable without context. It wasn’t until after watching the show, that I completely fell in love with the entire soundtrack. I found myself listening to all the time: in the car, while doing work, cooking meals, and even brushing my teeth.

In the past, I have loved compilation soundtracks from movies but never listened to a TV show’s original music before. I think Labrinth’s compositions and their deep connections to the show and its characters prove to be something special, especially in the landscape of teen shows that often only utilize popular songs in episodes to appeal to the younger audience. The notion that an audience of a TV show can desire the same kind of immersive sound experience to that of a feature film is exciting and I can’t wait to see what Labrinth will create for season two!

Give the soundtrack a listen and let me know what you think! Did you enjoy Labrinth's music and are looking forward to more or did it fall flat for you? How do you think Euphoria's approach to the TV show soundtrack will change the way teen shows use music?