Let’s set the scene: You’re sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, ready to dive back into the surreal, fungi-fueled universe of “Common Side Effects.” The first notes hit. Suddenly, you realize — this show doesn’t just move through wild plotlines and trippy visuals. It vibes through its music. Season 1 is loaded with audio gold, so much so that, by episode three, you probably found yourself humming more than a few tunes into your phone for later.
Curating the Season 1 Sound
There’s no such thing as an “accidental” soundtrack moment in “Common Side Effects.” Showrunner Tim Robinson and composer Nicolas Snyder handpicked and carved every second of music like mad scientists, mixing oddball sweetness, heart-pounders, and head-spinners. Milan Records released the official soundtrack in April 2025, dropping 24 spicy tracks that outline the season like a sonic roadmap. Snyder even called the process “wildly collaborative”—like a chef working with a different recipe every episode, but the cakes always rise. Search traffic went nuts for the album after release. Fans on Twitter, Reddit, and even TikTok compared favorite cue lists and swapped hot takes.
No two musical moments feel quite the same, yet together, they form the show’s backbone. Some tunes slap you awake. Others sneak up quietly and tickle your feelings. And a few drop so hard, they nearly drown out the dialogue. Ready for the top five? Let’s drop the needle.
1. Theme Song: Primal Scream and Mushroom Dream
Before the story launches — or Hildy even makes her first questionable decision — Nicolas Snyder’s “Common Side Effects Theme” grabs you. It’s only 53 seconds, but that’s all it needs. The pulsing synths swirl with a weird cocktail of unease and energy. Twitter exploded with memes about its uncanny resemblance to “a synthwave fever dream fueled by medical anxiety.” Fans called it an “earworm that sticks harder than side effects.” And you know what? They’re not wrong.
This theme puts you firmly in show territory. The signature swirl feels both dangerous and alive, a sonic warning that — yep — strange things are about to go down. Milan Records even dropped a limited run of vinyl singles featuring just the theme and a B-side remix, which sold out in days. The theme introduces listeners to a world where every answer grows out of the dirt and every risk tiptoes along with a pulse.
What really makes it land, though, is Snyder’s unapologetic experimentation. He blends digital and organic sounds, so your instincts feel as jumbled as Marshall’s brain after a night at the mushroom farm. Some critics said the show’s opening theme caused more nervous anticipation than a doctor’s waiting room. Others just set it as their ringtone and called it a day.
2. The Raid: Hold Your Breath (and Your Snacks)
By Episode 10 — yes, the now-iconic “Raid”—the stakes ramp up and the score hits a breaking point. “The Raid” track builds a literal heartbeat underneath the mayhem. That DEA bust of the specialized mushroom compound? Snyder matches every footstep, every flashbang, every heart-in-mouth moment with his signature relentless rhythm.
People on Instagram compared the score to “a ticking bomb disguised as a drum circle.” It doesn’t run long — just 54 seconds — but nobody cares about length at this frantic point in the episode. Fans gushed that the music basically stole the scene, outmuscling dialogue and effects. On Reddit, a few users hilariously edited it over classic movie chase scenes to prove it. The vibe here is clear: adrenalized chaos with a razor edge. When the score shifts dynamics halfway through, you almost expect the sound to jump through the screen.
And because timing is everything in TV, the “Raid” score drops just as the action peaks. It transforms a tight, dangerous column of agents moving through rows of pots and pink glow lamps into an almost balletic display. Snyder himself said in an interview, “We wanted muscles to tense up before anything even happens.” Mission so very accomplished.
3. Blue Angel: Take a Trip, Stay in Your Seat
Now for a detour into weird: “Blue Angel (feat. Odeya Nini)” pairs up with Episode 3’s trip sequence. If you thought “Common Side Effects” would shy away from the psychedelic, think again. This entire segment dives headfirst into trippy visuals and layered soundscapes — not to mention Nini’s chilling, transcendent vocals that echo through Marshall’s mentor’s skull.
On Spotify, “Blue Angel” jumped straight into show-based playlist popularity. It’s no surprise. The haunting harmonies and shimmering instrumentals swirl like a kaleidoscope spun too fast. Episode director Alex Ramos described the moment as “the show’s invitation to the emotional and physical distortion that the mushrooms symbolize.” The track pops up often on fan TikToks too, usually paired with mesmerizing DIY visuals or cosplayers spinning around in mushroom hats.
What stands out here is the irresistible temptation for viewers to simply close their eyes and float along. For a few moments, Snyder and Nini create this whole other plane where logic vanishes, and only sensation remains. Even critics who weren’t bowled over by the show’s plot called “Blue Angel” a “mini-masterpiece in atmospheric construction.”
4. Jump in the Line: Goofy Groove Meets Sharp Suits
Shifting gears, let’s talk about an all-timer for pure fun: The “Jump in the Line” needle-drop in the pilot. As the DEA agents Harrington and Copano saunter in — sharp suits, sharper banter — they cut loose to Harry Belafonte’s classic “Jump in the Line.” Suddenly, you blink and remember, “Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be a drama?” The very first episode has no qualms about letting its law-and-order leads boogie, which only sharpens their chemistry.
Viewers on social called this a “genius whiplash choice,” arguing that using such an upbeat tune for introducing the series’ core agents says more than five scenes worth of dialogue. The Reddit post about the scene blew up — people were split on whether the track’s pure giddiness highlighted the agents’ friendship or just made their upcoming danger feel ironic and inevitable.
Here’s what’s clear: selecting “Jump in the Line” is gutsy. The witty juxtaposition lands right between playful and potential calamity. It brings lightness, reminds viewers not to get too somber — and sets up the next hour for anything but predictable police drama. Even those who didn’t usually dance found themselves tapping along by accident.
5. Epiphany and Paranoia: Frances at the Crossroads
Time to bring out the emotional big guns. “Epiphany and Paranoia (feat. Kathrine Wandall)” emerges as Frances’s emotional oxygen mask through Season 1. You can spot every tremor in her voice and every flash in her eyes, thanks to Wandall’s haunting vocals weaving through Snyder’s minimalist arrangement. The melody just lingers, both gentle and almost suffocating at times.
Over on fan forums, viewers shared that this piece soundtracked the moment Frances truly realizes her professional decisions have cost way more than she expected. It plays both as a comfort and a warning. The lyrics (though barely more than a whisper) nail the mood of a character spiraling between insight and fear.
Streaming stats confirm “Epiphany and Paranoia” quickly became fan-favorite background for everything from late-night essay-writing to heavy post-episode debriefing. Critics on music blog sites praised Snyder’s “restraint and ability to make the room feel smaller, more intense, like there’s nowhere to hide.” It’s nearly impossible to listen without picturing dark hospital hallways and late-night confessions. You practically feel the weight on Frances’s shoulders drop onto your own.
How Music Grew ‘Common Side Effects’ Into Something Wild
So, what do all these musical choices have in common? They’re invitations into the weird, tense, sometimes hilarious, always unsettling world that “Common Side Effects” builds. Snyder’s knack for blending digital chills with real, lived-in warmth keeps the series from ever feeling hollow. And with carefully chosen needle-drops and one-off collaborations — hello, Odeya Nini and Kathrine Wandall — the soundtrack grows bigger than the show itself.
The Milan Records release in April 2025 created a minor frenzy in the online soundtrack community. People rushed to assemble their own “episode sound journeys.” Fan subsites ranked and re-ranked each cue, arguing over which one best represented the “heart” of the series. A few writers even predicted that, years from now, the Season 1 soundtrack will stand as one of the decade’s weirdest — and most beloved — TV collections.
Soundtrack moments became instant shorthand for whole plotlines online. Pop the theme, and your Twitter notifications fill up with fans quoting their favorite episode. Drop “The Raid” over backyard Nerf battles, and each side wishes for backup. Put on “Epiphany and Paranoia” during a tough homework session, and, suddenly, you’re Frances — minus the ethically ambiguous science experiments (hopefully).
Soundtracking Our Own Lives
Ultimately, people tuned in for the mind-bending plot, the dark laughs, the hallucinogenic visuals. But they stuck around because every note, every transition, felt deliberate and intimate. “Common Side Effects” proves, once and for all, that a great soundtrack isn’t just wallpaper. It’s fuel for the story — notes that worm into your memory and never quite leave, even after the credits fade.
If Season 2 cranks things up the way fans hope, clear your playlists. There’s a good chance we’re all about to find a few more tracks to obsess over — plus one heck of a new ringtone.
