In the June issue of Episode Magazine, Sinem Vural takes a look at The Bear, our cover feature, now streaming with its new season on Disney+.
What makes up the heart of a kitchen? Is it the steady rhythm of a chef’s knife striking the cutting board, the gentle simmer of sauce on the stove, or the relentless, ominous screech of the ticket machine spitting out order after order?
Created by Christopher Storer, The Bear brings kitchen culture to the screen while building one of the most claustrophobic and anxiety-inducing atmospheres in television history. Yet what transforms this chaotic restaurant drama into a modern masterpiece is not only its impeccable performances or its breathtaking single-take sequences. It is also the music—carefully injected into every scene like medicine flowing through its veins—creating one of the most distinctive soundtracks television has ever seen.
The Bear contains almost no original score. Instead, it relies entirely on licensed songs, deployed with flawless timing to burst into scenes at exactly the right moment, forming a massive, melancholic Chicago mixtape. In this kitchen, music is far more than background ambience; it becomes an inner voice guiding the characters through grief, a ticking time bomb intensifying panic attacks, or a haunting reminder of traumas they can never quite leave behind.
THE ANTHEM OF CHAOS AND ANXIETY: “NEW NOISE”
In the series’ famous breathless kitchen sequences, music transforms into an instrument of torture—a crushing weight pressing down on the audience’s chest. The constant catalyst for these moments is “New Noise” by Swedish hardcore punk band Refused. As its tense, explosive opening merges with the relentless chatter of the ticket machine, the song becomes the official anthem of losing control, impending breakdown, and the fractures inside Carmy’s mind. The fury and rhythm of punk rock perfectly fuel the wild anarchy lurking beneath the kitchen’s military-like discipline. That one song alone captures the spirit of the series, delivering unforgettable and emotionally shattering openings every season.
Yet the series doesn’t build its sonic wall through noise alone. Whenever the kitchen’s raw screams subside and the characters retreat into the deafening loneliness of their inner worlds, the masters of industrial music step in. In the midst of the enormous kitchen chaos of Season Two, Nine Inch Nails’ classic “The Day The World Went Away” crashes into the scene, its heavy, unsettling guitars placing the characters’ emotional burden and claustrophobia squarely onto the audience. Much like Radiohead’s masterpiece “Let Down,” which accompanies the emotional collapse in the first season finale, the music communicates the characters’ exhaustion and disappointment without needing a single word.
CHICAGO’S MELANCHOLIC MEMORY
At its core, The Bear is a story about grief, family, and belonging. To capture the spirit of Chicago, the soundtrack leans heavily on the melancholic, emotionally fragile alternative rock bands of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Here, Chicago legends Wilco become the series’ musical soulmates. As “Via Chicago” and “Impossible Germany” play throughout the first season, followed by “Handshake Drugs” and “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” in the second, Jeff Tweedy’s weary yet resilient voice mirrors the emotional state of Carmy and his team. The series practically carries an entire playlist on its back, featuring Pearl Jam, The Replacements, R.E.M., and many more, creating an astonishingly rich musical landscape.
WHAT ABOUT THE TAYLOR SWIFT SONG?
The series’ musical brilliance lies not only in its commitment to niche alternative rock and punk, but also in the way it uses popular culture as a tool for character development. Perhaps the most unforgettable example in television history is Richie (Cousin) and his moment of enlightenment through Taylor Swift.
After years of wandering through life as a tough, wounded, and angry street guy, Richie experiences a true epiphany in a fine-dining restaurant, discovering the sacredness of service and the value of making people feel cared for. Watching him pound the steering wheel and belt out “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” at the top of his lungs on the drive afterward is one of the most contradictory, absurd, and yet deeply moving moments of catharsis in modern pop culture. Taylor Swift isn’t just another pop song in that scene; she becomes the soundtrack to Richie’s fresh start, his determination to embrace life again, and his journey toward healing.
We experience a similar sense of emotional release at the end of the first season with Sufjan Stevens’ “Chicago.” Like a wistful love letter to the city itself, the song clears away the heavy smoke hanging over the characters, letting fresh air rush in and quietly whispering the promise of a new beginning.
A PERFECT GASTRONOMIC MIXTAPE
The Bear applies the same meticulous precision to its soundtrack that its chefs bring to every plate they prepare. Although I’ve focused mainly on the first two seasons, by now we’re more than ready for Season Five.
In this series, music is never mere decoration. It is one of the essential ingredients of a feast whose main ingredient is humanity, whose sauce is tragedy, and whose seasoning is rage. By taking the costly and daring creative risk of building an entire world through licensed songs, Christopher Storer and his team prove that music has the power to completely rewrite the way a story is told on television.
With its thunderous symphony rising from the kitchen, The Bear has already secured its place in pop culture history as an unforgettable Chicago mixtape that will continue to echo in our ears for years to come.
Chef’s kiss.
