After Two Years of Waiting, Severance's Mind-Splitting Soundtrack Still Lives Rent Free in Our Heads
After Two Years of Waiting Severance’s Mind-Splitting Soundtrack Still Lives Rent Free in Our Heads
Theodore Shapiro's score became the unofficial soundtrack to our corporate nightmares. As we gear up for Season 2, we revisit how this music turned fluorescent-lit hellscapes into a masterclass in psychological horror.
The thing about Severance is that it’s not just a show you watch, it’s a show you feel. Everything about it, from the clinical corridors of Lumon Industries to the unnerving dual lives of its employees, gets right under your skin. But what really pulls it all together? Theodore Shapiro’s score. It’s the unsung hero of Season 1, quietly working in the background, yet impossible to ignore once you’ve noticed it.
Shapiro isn’t new to crafting unforgettable soundtracks. His back catalogue, which includes The Devil Wears Prada and Bombshell, is packed with proof of his knack for telling stories through music. But Severance? It’s a different beast entirely. The score doesn’t just set the tone; it deepens the mystery, creates tension, and somehow makes the eerie sterility of Lumon feel even more oppressive.
Severance Main Title Sequence
From the very first episode and even the infamous title sequence, you’re drawn into this unsettling rhythm. Repetitive piano motifs echo the monotony of the severed employees’ lives, while subtle strings hint at something… more. There’s a fragile humanity beneath the surface, and Shapiro’s music makes sure you feel it. As the cracks start to show in Lumon’s façade, the score shifts almost imperceptibly, layering in tension and melancholy. It’s like Shapiro’s music is in conversation with the show itself, responding to its twists and turns.
“The score doesn’t just set the tone; it deepens the mystery, creates tension, and somehow makes the eerie sterility of Lumon feel even more oppressive.”
What’s really fascinating is how much restraint the composer shows here. Lesser composers might have gone big and bombastic, but he keeps it minimal, sharp and precise. It’s a perfect match for Ben Stiller’s vision. The two creatives have worked together before on films like Along Came Polly, Tropic Thunder, and Walter Mitty. But this feels like their most symbiotic collaboration yet.
Now, with the Season 2 trailers out, it’s hard not to wonder what and where the score will take us next. The stakes are higher, the rebellion is brewing, and the characters are pushing back against their constraints. Could the music get louder? More chaotic? Maybe we’ll hear something entirely new.
Reflecting on Season 1’s score, it’s clear that Shapiro’s work is more than just background noise. It’s part of the DNA of Severance, shaping how we experience its world. As Season 2 approaches, there’s no doubt his music will once again guide us through the corridors of Lumon Industries. Whatever’s coming, it’s going to sound incredible and we can’t wait.
