When Euphoria first premiered in 2019, many aspects of the show were celebrated for its intricacy, realness, and madness. Including the unique soundtrack written and produced by Labyrinth. Though Labyrinth had been celebrated for his musical genius years before Euphoria premiered, his popularity skyrocketed after its premiere. It even won him an Emmy for Outstanding Music and Lyrics.
Due to the nature of the show Labyrinth had his work cut out for him. Not only did he have to produce music that embodied the trippy and psychedelic vibes of the show, but he had to create it in a way that it could be put over scenes of drug use, teenage experiences, sex, and more. Not exactly easy topics to shoot or write music for. Lucky for Sam Levinson, the creator of Euphoria, Labyrinth considers himself to be “an artist who’s a bit of a what you would call a schizophrenic creative. I like to work with classical scores along with hip-hop stuff, along with indie guitar music, so I think that’s what I like about the style” (vanityfair.com). Their immediate connection with each other musically and personally allowed for a soundtrack that pushed the previous sound scores limits and ventured in new directions.
He contributes his success with the soundtrack to the combination of the show’s characters and his own memories of his teenage years, which inspired many aspects of the songs.
There is one quote, in particular, from a Rolling Stone article that, in my opinion, perfectly sums up Labyrinth’s motivations for writing Euphoria’s soundtrack along with his inspiration.
“Labrinth went on to describe the overall feel he was going for in Euphoria’s music, a show in which the lighting, cinematography, acting, makeup, and score all come together in a way that is completely hypnotizing.
‘I want it to feel almost mystical ’cause it does feel like that when you’re a teenager,’ he explained. ‘Your whole existence is invested into this bubble that you’re in, and the bubble is so important.’
The juxtaposition of all of those hormone-induced feelings needed to be present” (RollingStone).
What do you think of the Euphoria soundtrack?