The End Of The F***ing World Season 2 Soundtrack Is So, So Good

Warning: Spoilers for season 2 of The End Of The Fucking World are ahead.

The End Of The Fucking World was an instant hit the moment it began with “I'm pretty sure I'm a psychopath.” Once it hit Netflix in 2018, viewers fell in love with the characters, the dark humor of the show that was broken up by genuinely heartwarming moments, and of course The End of The Fucking World's killer soundtrack. 

Season 2 of TEOTFW picks up right where season 1 left off, both in terms of its plot and its soundtrack. Season 1 was filled with doo-wop classics like the aptly titled “The End Of The World” by Julie London as well as punk rock deep cuts like “Why Can’t I Touch It?” by Buzzcocks. Its upbeat tones are in direct contrast with the gruesome and deadpan storytelling as viewers watch James and Alyssa go from two teens on a journey to find Alyssa’s father to runaways evading the law for murder. In the aftermath, the tone remains much the same. Both James and Alyssa have tried to move on, but just like the throwback feel of the soundtrack, something keeps pulling them back.

“We made an adult show about teenagers,” series director Jonathan Entwistle told Billboard. “The dawn of teenagers was the ‘50s and because we were playing that whole creepy, suburban thing, I automatically went to a ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s doo-wop thing. I think that’s the saddest music in the world.”

One musical constant between seasons is the original score written by Blur guitarist Graham Coxon. The Britpop musician wrote original songs inspired by 1960s folk and surf rock. Even though the first season was Coxon’s first foray into composing soundtracks, he said the TEOTFW season 1 soundtrack came together quickly. “I just started making music based on it. We sort of talked about how to approach the music and it was pretty much an organic soundtrack,” he told NME.

Coxon returned for season 2, his unique blend of folk-rock coming back to the show like a character we’ve been missing along with the main cast. Between Coxon’s contributions and all of the throwback tracks narrating the comeback of The End Of The Fucking World, the series wouldn’t be the same without them. 

Click through to listen to the soundtrack from season 2 of The End Of The Fucking World.