section_path: Production/Music
section_name: Music
paragraph_text: Music
  
  Gustavo Santaolalla and David Fleming returned to compose the score for the season; Santaolalla composed the music for the games. Santaolalla considered each theme interchangeable, moving the games' music to different scenes in the series matching the same emotion.: 59:41 He worked on the character-driven score and Fleming on action-driven, and they collaborated on blending the two. Fleming felt diverting from Santaolalla's original game score was often necessary to give the series its own identity, but otherwise sought to maintain the same feeling and avoid unnecessary diversion. He felt their different approaches complemented their individual tasks for the series. Mazin worked with the composers to determine specific sounds for each character and group, such as Ellie, Abby's friends, and the infected. They scored Abby to match her anger, pain, and trauma akin to Ellie's, rather than as a traditional antagonist. A 41-track soundtrack album was released digitally on May 23, 2025.
  
  Druckmann considered music conducive to the narrative, akin to the game, with characters performing or listening to music contributing to worldbuilding or relationships. The first episode is named after the Pearl Jam song " Future Days ", which features in the game; while the song did not exist in 2003, when the outbreak takes place in the series, Mazin and Druckmann felt its inclusion was important and thematically appropriate to Joel and Ellie's character arcs.: 5:24 The episode features cameo appearances by Santaolalla and Crooked Still, playing the latter's music which featured in the game. The second episode is named after Shawn James 's song " Through the Valley ", and ends with a cover performed by Ashley Johnson, who portrayed Ellie in the games and Ellie's mother Anna in the series. Johnson's cover featured in the second game and its marketing; the one featured in the episode is a blend of her original performance and a new recording. Mazin felt some lyrics represented the episode's events—while Jackson may be saved, souls have been damned—and others reflected an unachievable desire for its characters.: 38:40
  
  Gustavo Santaolalla and David Fleming returned to compose the score for the season; Santaolalla composed the music for the games. Santaolalla considered each theme interchangeable, moving the games' music to different scenes in the series matching the same emotion.: 59:41 He worked on the character-driven score and Fleming on action-driven, and they collaborated on blending the two. Fleming felt diverting from Santaolalla's original game score was often necessary to give the series its own identity, but otherwise sought to maintain the same feeling and avoid unnecessary diversion. He felt their different approaches complemented their individual tasks for the series. Mazin worked with the composers to determine specific sounds for each character and group, such as Ellie, Abby's friends, and the infected. They scored Abby to match her anger, pain, and trauma akin to Ellie's, rather than as a traditional antagonist. A 41-track soundtrack album was released digitally on May 23, 2025.
  
  Druckmann considered music conducive to the narrative, akin to the game, with characters performing or listening to music contributing to worldbuilding or relationships. The first episode is named after the Pearl Jam song " Future Days ", which features in the game; while the song did not exist in 2003, when the outbreak takes place in the series, Mazin and Druckmann felt its inclusion was important and thematically appropriate to Joel and Ellie's character arcs.: 5:24 The episode features cameo appearances by Santaolalla and Crooked Still, playing the latter's music which featured in the game. The second episode is named after Shawn James 's song " Through the Valley ", and ends with a cover performed by Ashley Johnson, who portrayed Ellie in the games and Ellie's mother Anna in the series. Johnson's cover featured in the second game and its marketing; the one featured in the episode is a blend of her original performance and a new recording. Mazin felt some lyrics represented the episode's events—while Jackson may be saved, souls have been damned—and others reflected an unachievable desire for its characters.: 38:40