Richard Gadd’s Half Man is one of the most talked-about limited series of 2026, arriving on HBO and HBO Max hot on the heels of the creator’s explosive Baby Reindeer success.
Starring Gadd himself alongside Jamie Bell, Neve McIntosh, Mitchell Robertson, Stuart Campbell, and Charlie De Melo, the six-part psychological drama dives deep into the volatile bond between two men across four decades. From the very first episode, the music of Half Man announced itself as something special — precise, emotionally brutal, and carefully chosen to amplify every moment of tension.
The original score is composed by the acclaimed Galperine brothers — Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine — whose work coils underneath the drama like a slow fuse. The series also makes deliberate use of licensed songs as needle drops, with at least one already becoming a standout moment in the show’s early episodes. Here is everything confirmed about the Half Man soundtrack so far.
Half Man Soundtrack Overview
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Half Man |
| Created By | Richard Gadd |
| Network / Platform | HBO / HBO Max (US); BBC One, BBC iPlayer (UK) |
| Production Companies | BBC Studios, HBO Entertainment, Mam Tor Productions, Thistledown Pictures |
| US Premiere Date | April 23, 2026 |
| UK Premiere Date | April 24, 2026 |
| Episode Count | 6 (weekly release, finale May 28, 2026) |
| Score Composers | Evgueni Galperine & Sacha Galperine |
| Score Album Release | Not yet released as of publication |
| Filming Location | Scotland, UK |
The musical identity of Half Man is built on two distinct layers. The first is the original score, composed by Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine — the same duo who previously scored Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer for Netflix. Their involvement here is not coincidental; Gadd clearly trusts them to translate complex psychological states into sound. The score draws on minimalist, tension-driven composition, with sparse instrumentation that mirrors the show’s themes of unspoken violence and emotional suppression.
The second layer is the show’s use of licensed tracks, or needle drops, selected with clear intention. The series spans roughly 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, and the music choices reflect that long, winding timeline — grounding specific moments in specific eras.
As of April 30, 2026, a standalone score album has not yet been officially announced or released. The series is still airing weekly, with the finale set for May 28, 2026. Any additional needle drops from future episodes will be confirmed and added as the series progresses.
Who Composed the Half Man Soundtrack?
Evgueni Galperine & Sacha Galperine
The music for Half Man was composed by the Russian-French brother duo Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine, who have built one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary film and television scoring.
Evgueni Galperine was born in 1974 in Chelyabinsk in the Urals, Russia. He spent his early childhood there before the family relocated to Kyiv, and later to Moscow, where Evgueni studied at a conservatory and then at the Gnessin State Musical College. At the age of 16, the entire family moved to France. He studied composition at the Boulogne Conservatory and was later admitted to the prestigious Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, where he specialized in music theory and composition.
Sacha Galperine was born on May 2, 1980, also in Chelyabinsk, Russia. He received a first prize for violin performance at the Conservatory of Versailles before turning his focus toward rock and electronic music. Together, the two brothers began collaborating on film music in 2009, launching their joint career with the 2010 French film The Big Picture (directed by Éric Lartigau).
Their international reputation was cemented with the score for Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Loveless (2017), which earned the European Film Academy (EFA) Award for Best Film Score and landed in IndieWire’s top ten scores of that year. The film itself won the Jury Prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Their work ranges from intimate European art cinema to Hollywood productions — their music has featured in titles including The Hunger Games (Gary Ross), Split (M. Night Shyamalan), and Rust and Bone (Jacques Audiard).
On television, they composed the score for HBO’s acclaimed miniseries The Undoing (2020) and HBO’s Scenes from a Marriage (2021), as well as Netflix’s Baby Reindeer (2024) — which directly established their working relationship with Richard Gadd.
Their compositional style is often described as minimalist, drawing on influences including Arvo Pärt, György Ligeti, and Steve Reich, alongside classical roots in Mussorgsky, Shostakovich, and Debussy. For Half Man, their score channels that same controlled, haunting restraint — music that lingers rather than announces itself.
Half Man Official Score Tracklist
Note: As of April 30, 2026, a full official score tracklist for Half Man has not been publicly released. The series is currently airing weekly, with new episodes dropping every Thursday through May 28, 2026. This section will be updated once an official score album or tracklist is confirmed by the label or composers.
Score Highlights
While the full tracklist is yet to be released, the score’s presence has been widely noted by reviewers of the first episodes. The Galperine brothers’ approach to Half Man appears to follow the method they described in prior interviews: writing music that operates independently of explicit cues, creating an emotional atmosphere rather than illustrating action. The result in Half Man is a score that feels psychological in nature — it underscores the show’s use of fractured timelines and the long shadow of childhood trauma without overexplaining them.
The opening episode in particular establishes the score’s tone: restrained, chamber-influenced, occasionally dissonant, and built around the emotional distance between the two central characters. The music heightens moments of dread without resorting to conventional horror or thriller signaling.
Half Man Licensed Songs / Needle Drops
Episode 1 — Confirmed
“Clevor Trever” — Ian Dury
The most notable licensed song confirmed so far in Half Man is “Clevor Trever” by Ian Dury, taken from his debut album New Boots And Panties!! (1977), recorded before the formation of his legendary band The Blockheads. The track plays during a scene in Episode 1 in which a young Ruben dances while Niall watches from the doorway. The choice of song is deliberate — Ian Dury’s playfully provocative, distinctly British character fits the era and setting, while the scene itself carries a loaded emotional undercurrent between the two characters.
Note on Additional Needle Drops: SeekerTune lists at least two songs currently featured in the soundtrack, with Tame Impala referenced among the artists whose music appears in the series. However, specific track titles and confirmed episode placements beyond Episode 1 have not yet been verified by primary sources. Additional needle drops will be confirmed and added here as each episode is reviewed by credible publications.
Evgueni & Sacha Galperine — Selected Filmography
| Year | Title | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Big Picture | Film |
| 2012 | The Past (dir. Asghar Farhadi) | Film |
| 2013 | The Family (dir. Luc Besson) | Film |
| 2017 | Loveless (dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev) | Film — EFA Award Winner |
| 2018 | By the Grace of God (dir. François Ozon) | Film |
| 2019 | Corpus Christi (dir. Jan Komasa) | Film |
| 2019 | Beanpole (dir. Kantemir Balagov) | Film |
| 2020 | The Undoing | HBO Series |
| 2021 | Scenes from a Marriage | HBO Series |
| 2021 | Radioactive | Film |
| 2024 | Baby Reindeer | Netflix Series |
| 2024 | Kraven the Hunter | Film |
| 2025 | Notes of a True Criminal | Film |
| 2026 | At the Sea (Berlin Film Festival) | Film |
| 2026 | Half Man | HBO/BBC Series |
Where to Stream the Half Man Soundtrack?
Half Man is currently streaming on HBO Max in the United States, Latin America, and Europe, and on BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom. For the music, the series score has not yet been released as a standalone album on streaming platforms.
Once released, it is expected to be available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and other major platforms, consistent with the distribution of previous Galperine scores. The confirmed licensed track “Clevor Trever” by Ian Dury is available now on all major streaming services as part of his 1977 album New Boots And Panties!!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who composed the Half Man score?
The original score for Half Man was composed by brothers Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine, the same duo behind the Baby Reindeer score (2024) and HBO’s The Undoing (2020) and Scenes from a Marriage (2021).
2. Has the Half Man score album been released?
As of April 30, 2026, no official score album has been released or announced. The series is still airing weekly, with the finale scheduled for May 28, 2026. A release may follow after the series concludes.
3. What songs are featured in Half Man?
The most prominent confirmed needle drop is “Clevor Trever” by Ian Dury (from New Boots And Panties!!, 1977), featured in Episode 1. Additional licensed songs are expected to be confirmed as the remaining episodes air. Tame Impala has also been referenced among artists whose music appears in the series.
4. When did Half Man premiere on HBO Max?
Half Man premiered on April 23, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max in the US. New episodes drop every Thursday, with the finale airing on May 28, 2026.
5. Have the Galperine brothers worked with Richard Gadd before?
Yes. Evgueni and Sacha Galperine previously scored Netflix’s Baby Reindeer (2024), Gadd’s breakout autobiographical miniseries. Their return for Half Man marks a continuing creative partnership between the composer duo and the writer-director.
6. Where can I watch Half Man?
Half Man is available to stream on HBO Max in the US and internationally, and on BBC One / BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom. Episodes release weekly every Thursday in the US and Friday in the UK.
7. What is the Half Man soundtrack’s musical style?
The score is minimalist and psychologically driven, consistent with the Galperine brothers’ wider body of work. It incorporates chamber instrumentation, restrained harmonic tension, and an atmospheric quality that reflects the show’s themes of masculinity, trauma, and the complexity of long-term relationships.