A solid soundtrack can make or break a TV show. Get it right, and those scenes stick with you long after the credits roll
The Last of Us has always understood the assignment. From the first notes of Season 1, the music has been doing a lot of heavy lifting – setting the mood, adding emotional weight, and letting you know when shit’s about to hit the fan.
Now, after two long years of waiting (and plenty of Reddit theories), The Last of Us is finally back. Season 2 kicked off on Sunday, April 13 with the first episode, Future Days, now streaming on Max (and airing at 2 a.m. BST on Sky Atlantic and Now for UK viewers). It drops us back into Jackson with Joel and Ellie, where things seem chill – but obviously, that doesn’t last.
We’re thrown straight into the emotional fallout of Season 1’s ending, while also meeting some new faces – including a big one from the game, Abby, played by Booksmart’s Kaitlyn Dever.
But while all that drama’s playing out on screen, the soundtrack’s quietly stealing the show.
Here’s every song featured in Season 2, Episode 1 – and yep, we’ll be updating this every week as more episodes (and more gems) roll in:
Episode 1: Future Days
Future Days – Pearl Jam
A beautiful gut-punch right out of the gate. Joel’s solemn cover of this Lightning Bolt-era Pearl Jam ballad, which held massive emotional weight in The Last of Us Part II game, now lands in live-action form. It’s more than a song — it’s a promise, a memory, and a warning.
Love Buzz – Nirvana
Grunge gets a moment of glory with this fuzzed-out, psych-tinged Nirvana cover (originally by Dutch band Shocking Blue). It adds an edge of disorientation to the episode — a taste of chaos to come.
Little Sadie – Crooked Still
This Appalachian murder ballad in the hands of Crooked Still becomes ethereal and ominous — the perfect sonic palette for a world that still romanticises the old while slowly decaying in the new.
Ecstasy – Crooked Still
Another Crooked Still track, this time slower and more haunting, used to deepen the melancholy undercurrents of the episode. Cello-led and spine-tingling.
Longing – Gustavo Santaolalla
A returning MVP from the video game’s original composer. This piece is all about tension and heartbreak, draped in his signature sparse guitar textures and atmospheric drift.
The episode sets a high bar – emotionally, narratively, and sonically. With weekly drops expected to continue through the season, we’ll be keeping this space updated with every song featured in The Last of Us Season 2 as it airs.
So whether you’re adding to your apocalypse playlist or just trying to find that one tune from the final five minutes that wrecked you emotionally – we’ve got you.
Episode 2: Through the Valley
Through the Valley – Ashley Johnson, Chris Rondinella
The Last of Us S2, Ep 2 ends with a haunting cover of Through the Valley — originally by Shawn James, but this time performed by Ellie’s game voice actor Ashley Johnson. The song has long been tied to Ellie’s arc, from trailers to gameplay moments, and its return now hits hard.
Played over the end credits after Joel’s brutal death, the lyrics mirror Ellie’s spiral into grief and vengeance. Lines like “I know I’ll kill my enemies when they come” and “I can’t walk on the path of the right because I’m wrong” foreshadow her descent. The titular valley — a nod to the valley of the shadow of death — is where Ellie will now live, armed, angry, and alone.
Johnson, who appeared in the show as Ellie’s mum, brings it full circle. And yes — it still wrecks you.
The Last Of Us – Gustavo Santaolalla
Santaolalla’s signature theme returns quietly but powerfully in the episode, anchoring the chaos in something tender — a reminder of the bond that’s just been broken.
Episode 3: The Path
Three months on from the infected ambush in Jackson, the latest episode of The Last of Us cracks open the grief left behind – especially for Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who’s determined to hunt Joel’s killers in Seattle. Backed by Dina (Isabela Merced) and Jesse (Young Mazino), it’s a slow-burning start that introduces us to the scarred and sinister Seraphites. Shot in April 2024, this one’s big on mood: somber, cinematic, and emotionally sharp, though a few critics reckon the dialogue lays it on thick. Still, the chemistry between Ramsey and Merced hits hard—and the tension heading into Seattle is palpable.
The Last Of Us – Gustavo Santaolalla
Gustavo Santaolalla’s moody score is back in full force, tying it all together with that familiar mix of eerie calm and gut-punch emotion.
Check back next week for more.
