HBO’sThe Last of Ushas gone all out to translate the original game seamlessly to television. One place where that’s especially true is with the soundtrack which features work by two-time Oscar winnerGustavo Santaolallawho gave the game its haunting, twangy, and breathtaking score. Together withDavid Fleming, who previously contributed to the soundtracks ofDuneandHillbilly Elegy, he’s been able to recapture the magic and build yet another melancholic yet beautiful soundtrack for the megahit show. Now, Milan Records has released the official Season 1 soundtrack featuring all the music written by Santaolalla and Fleming.
Santaolalla had plenty of experience coming into the HBO series after scoring both the originalThe Last of Usand its 2020 sequel where he used a guitar-driven soundscape to enhance the emotional weight of the games. Before creating the iconic soundtracks, however, he was already well-known for his Oscar-winning original scores forBrokeback MountainandBabelas well as his Emmy-nominated title theme for AMC’sHell on Wheels.
Santaolalla brought all that experience to bear when co-writing the score with Fleming. “Creating the music for the HBO series based on the video gameThe Last Of Uswas, in a way, an expansion of what we have developed and recorded for the first installment of the game,” he said of adapting those skills to television. “Once again, the emotion at the heart of the score this time is driven by the vision ofNeil DruckmannandCraig Mazinand by the power of this amazing story.”
RELATED:The Last of Us Episode 6 Changes Joel Even More From the Game
Fleming had high praise for his composing partner and was excited for fans to be able to own their work, adding:
I’m so thrilled to be releasing our soundtrack for this newest chapter in the story ofThe Last of Us. Working alongside Gustavo has been a true honor. His music for this series is iconic, and it was tremendous fun to play within that sonic universe, while adding some new layers of madness to fit Craig and Neil’s incredible vision for this show. Even at its most aggressive, I wanted the music to feel derived from the real world - bowed steel, cracking wood - these are sounds for a civilization that has rusted and warped. I hope the fans have as much fun diving into this world as I have.
The Last of UsContinues to Amaze Audiences on HBO
There’s only two episodes left in Season 1 ofThe Last of Usand Druckmann and Mazin have kept the series going strong through it all so far. In telling the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) journey through a post-apocalyptic America, they’ve managed not just to remain faithful to the feel of the games, but also make changes and interweave elements from future installments that improve the overall story, evenpotentially teasingThe Last of Us 2’s Dina in Episode 6. Sunday’s Episode 7 ushered inStorm Reid’s Riley from theLeft BehindDLC for a heart-wrenching look into Ellie’s past.
Santaolalla and Fleming’sThe Last of Ussoundtrack is nowavailable everywhere. Episodes will continue to air Sundays on HBO at 9 p.m. ET. Check out the trailer for the series below.
