We're now four episodes in to The Testaments, the new sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, has been shaking things up in the world of Gilead – with a powerful, women-led soundtrack to boot.

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The Disney+ series has made several changes from the Margaret Atwood novel it's based on, sending viewers down a winding road of what it's like to be a young woman being primed to be a wife, mother and subservient to her husband in this dystopian society.

Told through the eyes of Agnes (Chase Infiniti), the series has a natural knack of making you feel a sense of dread, as what we see on screen continues to get more and more horrifying.

But throughout it all is a female-led, angst-ridden soundtrack of the rebellion and fear that is stirring underneath.

Curated by music supervisor Brittany Whyte, who has previously worked on The Handmaid's Tale, Riverdale and Station 19, The Testaments continues the tradition of using meaningful songs from different eras in the new series.

Here's everything you need to know about the music filling The Testaments' soundtrack.

Mattea Conforti and Chase Infiniti in The Testaments standing in the middle of a room in their purple gowns, dancing and stretching out their arms to each other.
Mattea Conforti and Chase Infiniti in The Testaments. Disney/Steve Wilkie

The theme song featured in the trailer for the new series is Dreams by The Cranberries, which is also heard over the end credits of the first episode.

You can hear it during the trailer here.

A woman with shoulder-length curly hair stands facing forward, wearing a white sleeveless dress, her expression calm and serious as blurred figures in dark clothing gather behind her.
Chase Infiniti as Agnes in The Testaments Disney

Episode 1

  • Summer Song – Remy Bond
  • Dreaming – Blondie
  • Dreams – The Cranberries

Episode 2

  • Chapel of Love – The Dixie Cups

Episode 3

  • California Dreamin' – Scala & Kolacny Brothers
  • Zep Step – The Wytches
  • Cherry on Top – Tabitha Meeks

Episode 4

  • Magix – Catey Shaw & Today Kid
  • (You Keep Me) Hanging On – Ann Peebles

Who composed the score for The Testaments?

From behind a seated figure, two young women stand side by side in a formal room—one dressed in white, the other in purple—hands clasped as they face forward beneath a decorative wall hanging.
Lucy Halliday and Chase Infiniti star in The Testaments. Disney

The original score for The Testaments was composed by Adam Taylor.

Taylor is a Grammy Award winner for the contemporary blues album After the Rain.

He also previously wrote the score for The Handmaid’s Tale, earning two Emmy nominations, and worked on projects including Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and the TV adaptation of The Right Stuff.

After the release of every episode of The Testaments, Taylor has been uploading the orchestral songs he's created for the show onto his YouTube channel.

You can find the latest episode here, featuring piano-led pieces Serving the Aunts, violin and choir-led An Opportunity To Learn, and the sinister-sounding Speaking In The Shadows.

The Testaments is available to watch now on Disney+.

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Authors

Tilly PearceFreelance Writer

Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.

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