With Yellowjackets’ fourth and final season set to begin filming this month, there’s no better time to revisit one of the show’s most defining elements: its music.

The thriller series follows a high school girls’ soccer team en route to nationals when their plane crashes, leaving them stranded in the Ontario wilderness. What unfolds is a gripping dual narrative: one follows their survival in the wilderness and slow descent into cannibalism, while the other picks up twenty five years later, as their experiences reverberate through their adult lives.

The show’s atmosphere is undoubtedly heightened by its phenomenal soundtrack. From ‘90s alt-rock anthems to emotional deep cuts, each song reflects the narrative unravelling on screen. It is exemplary of how music and storytelling can work together seamlessly. With that in mind, let’s look back at some of the show’s most unforgettable needle drops.

Huge spoilers ahead

10. 'Miss World' - Hole (S1, Ep 1)

The entire Live Through This album would have worked in YJ, but ‘Miss World’ was a fitting choice for the show’s pilot. The song bridges two timelines: teenage Nat (Sophie Thatcher) taking LSD at a party, and her adult self (Juliette Lewis) leaving rehab in the present day. As well as her punk style, Nat canonically has a great music taste, so it make sense that she has some of the best needle drops. This is something showrunner Ashley Lyle felt was particularly important: "It felt like ‘Miss World’ was just so right for that scene and for the introduction of Natalie.”

The chorus shifts focus to it-girl Jackie (Ella Purnell). She is captured in slow motion, laughing and dancing with her boyfriend Jeff, while best friend Shauna (Melanie Lynkey) watches from the sidelines. It nods to the underlying falsehood of their friendship - namely that Shauna is sleeping with Jeff.

The song’s discussion of beauty standards and social pressures underscores what is ultimately a toxic friendship. It is also foreboding of the imminent tragedy; the party takes place the night before the crash, an event that strips away so many of the things Jackie takes for granted.

“She’s queen bee; she has everything going for her. Then as soon as you take her out of that […] all of Jackie’s social standing falls away. She doesn’t have any interests or hobbies or musings or observations deep inside. So when you ask someone to dig deep into the depths of their resilience, she has nothing there.” - Purnell

9. 'Dream Girl Evi' - Florence + the Machine (S2, Ep 7)

While a lot of the YJ soundtrack predates the show, ‘Dream Girl Evil’ was directly inspired by it. Florence Welch’s tongue in cheek lyrics criticise the double standards surrounding women, who are categorised simultaneously as the angel and devil to suit men’s needs. This definitely ties in with the show’s themes, but there is another element that speaks clearly to some of the Yellowjackets’ experiences - that of unadulterated female rage. On writing the lyrics, Welch reveals:

“Yellowjackets appeals to me because of my fascination with all things culty, but also it portrays the violence of the hormonal shift of girlhood so well. I think there’s something about being a young woman that feels very murderous [...] When I see messy or violent or terribly behaved women, especially young women, there’s a liberation. To not have to try and survive by being good.”

The song plays during the police’s discovery of Adam’s body — the man Shauna had an affair with and subsequently murdered. Although she is far from my favourite character, the song reflects her calculated character well. It shamelessly celebrates - or echoes her compulsion for - these violent acts, because after all, there is a power there.

As well as taking inspiration from the show, Florence + the Machine released a cover of No Doubt’s ‘Just A Girl’. Featuring on the season two trailer, this further cements themes of girlhood and survival.

8.'Cornflake Girl' - Tori Amos (S2, Ep 1)

This Tori Amos track serves as another bridge between timelines. It plays as Shauna's daughter Callie (Sarah Desjadrins) discovers Adam’s passport, then flashes back to the moments following Jackie’s death - and the horrifying moment in which Shauna eats her former best friend’s ear.

The song’s lyrics pits two types of women against each other - ‘cornflake’ and ‘raisin’ - exploring the complexity of female friendships. The ambiguity of these terms perhaps emphasises the superficial distinctions that exist within society, something that definitely applies to Shauna and Jackie.

Lyle discusses why the song is so fitting for the two: “‘Cornflake Girl’ especially felt so thematically perfect, [because] that song is about how fraught female friendships are.”

The song’s pre-chorus also captures the disbelief of both moments: that of Shauna in the face of Jackie’s death, and of Callie realising that her mother is a murderer.

“This is not really happening.”

7. 'No Return' - Craig Wedren & Anna Waronker (Opening Title Sequence)

The classic YJ theme song had to be on this list, an original composition by Anna Waronker and Craig Wedren. Given that both artists were in 90s rock bands (that dog, Shudder to Think), the song is unsurprisingly on theme.

‘No Return’ packs so much into the opening sequence; it opens with a sinister bassline, adding in an organ that is slightly disorienting, slightly ethereal when paired with the eerie vocalising, before culminating in a fiery chorus. The result is a combination of grunge and psychedelia. It also has strange time signatures, both destabilising and waltz-esque.

Interestingly, the organ notes are more or less identical to those heard midway through Blue Öyster Cult’s '(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’. Whether intentional or not, it acts as an ill omen.

Images of the group flicker in and out of VHS static, encapsulating the show’s retro feel. Something about it just feels rebellious, flawlessly capturing its themes of horror, the otherworldly, and teenage angst.

6. 'Feel the Pain' - Dinosaur Jr (S1, Ep 4)

During a visit to her childhood home, adult Nat remembers playing this raw 90s track on cassette. It centres around something so carefree and quintessentially adolescent: sneaking a boy into her room, simply to listen to music and paint each other’s nails.

Referring to the band’s break into the mainstream, Kevyn says “I liked them better when they were just ours.” His words inform this intimate and thoroughly nostalgic moment, which turns sour as Nat’s abusive father discovers them.

The fact that adult Nat is watching this memory play out adds even more emotional depth. There is something tragic in her wanting to protect her younger self, and given her later struggles with addiction, the lyrics ring true:

“I feel the pain of everyone, then I feel nothing.”

5. 'Overture' - Andrew Lloyd Webber (S1, Ep 6)

Andrew Loyd Webber’s dramatic score becomes a staple for Misty (Christina Ricci) throughout the series. The creepy overture works exceptionally well for this unhinged theatre nerd.

Its opening synth line is grandiose and dark, placed just before Misty kidnaps journalist Jessica Roberts (Rekha Sharma).

For me, Misty is one of the most interesting characters - both charming and sociopathic. She shares qualities with the titular Phantom; obsessive, constantly on the margins and craving to be like the other girls.

Phantom later becomes a source of connection between Misty and romantic interest Walter (Elijah Wood).

4. 'Blood Bitch' - Cocteau Twins (S3, Ep 7)

Taken from the 1982 album Garlands, ‘Blood Bitch’ scores a truly bloodthirsty moment. The plot is too complex to fully explain here, but involves a young researcher, Hannah (Ashley Sutton), discovering the missing girls. In the present day, Shauna sets out to track down her daughter.

As the song’s menacing notes begin to play, we see Shauna parked outside a suburban home, poised and ready to kill with knife in hand.

Before evolving into their signature dreampop style, Cocteau Twins had an altogether darker sound. Robin Guthrie’s guitar work was a huge factor in this, using lots of reverb to create an ominous tone similar to that of The Cure. It also features a repetitive drum machine, giving it a chilling and almost clinical feel.

The overarching sound accurately depicts Shauna’s bloodlust, as do Elizabeth Fraser’s nonsensical lyrics:

“Blood woman/ Blood bitch / There's a corona/ A corona swelling”

3. 'Livin' on the Edge' - Aerosmith (S3, Ep 10)

This Aerosmith anthem plays out the season 3 finale, in a scene that is as profound as it is visually stunning: Nat stands alone on snow-covered mountains, desperately trying to reach the outside world with a broken radio.

The cinematography here accentuates both the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and the group’s unlikely survival of a second winter. Frantically trying to operate the radio, Nat eventually gets a signal - “I can hear you.”

The soaring chorus kicks in, and its symbolism is beautifully layered; she is literally on the precipice, and like her teammates, is emotionally and psychologically on the brink. Thanks to her, though, they are now moments away from potential rescue. This shines through as a truly triumphant moment and was a great choice for the show’s closing sequence.

2. ‘Exit Music (For a Film’) - Radiohead (S3, Ep 9)

Several other Radiohead songs have been used throughout the series (‘Street Spirit (Fade Out)’, ‘Climbing Up the Walls’) but this was hands down one of the best needle drops so far.

The plot is again too convoluted to summarise briefly, but essentially this episode reunites the group with former teammate Melissa (Hilary Swank). While Van (Lauren Ambrose) comes close to killing her, ultimately cold blooded murder isn’t in her nature. Morally she is distanced from some of the other Yellowjackets, as she is fundamentally a good person.

Van: Why? Why can’t I be that?
Melissa: Because you don’t want to be.

What appears to be a real moment of affection between the two survivors takes a sharp turn. Melissa says “but I do,” before taking the knife from Van and stabbing her. This coincides with the most pivotal and arguably iconic part of the song, emphasising the gut punch playing out before us. It reminded me of a very similar usage of the same song in the Black Mirror episode ‘Shut Up and Dance.’

The song continues playing as Van imagines being back on the plane, watching herself die on a television screen. It makes for a shocking scene, rendering us just as powerless as Van.

1. 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' - The Smashing Pumpkins (S2, Ep 8)

Grunge legends The Smashing Pumpkins make multiple appearances throughout the series, but this immediately stood out to me as one of my favourite songs. By this point, several factors are affecting the group - starvation, a desperation to survive, and a growing ritualised need to appease the wilderness. They become convinced that they must hunt and kill one of their own, depending on who draws the Queen of Hearts.

The song’s steady drumming and menacing lyrics (“the world is a vampire/ sent to drain”) craft the scene’s tension, and Nat ends up choosing the fatal card. It explodes into the chorus as she is chased by the group, aptly scoring the mania happening on screen.

They howl and chase her, seemingly excited to kill despite their former justification of survival purposes. This crazed moment goes hand in hand with Billy Corgan's frenzied lyrics (“despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.”)

Honourable mentions

'Glory Box' - Portishead

'Vienna' - Ultravox

'Last Resort' - Papa Roach

'Dreams' - The Cranberries

'Mountain Song' - Jane’s Addiction

'Seventeen' - Sharon Van Etten

'Seether' - Veruca Salt

'Song 2' - Blur