When The Testaments premiered on Hulu on April 8, 2026, it carried the weight of one of television’s most celebrated dystopian universes — and with it, one of its most acclaimed musical voices. The series, a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, stars Ann Dowd, Chase Infiniti, Lucy Halliday, Rowan Blanchard, Amy Seimetz, and others in a coming-of-age story set deep within Gilead. But from the very first note, it’s the music that signals this world hasn’t softened. Adam Taylor is back, and so is his singular ability to make silence feel dangerous.
The Testaments Soundtrack Overview
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Series Title | The Testaments |
| Created By | Bruce Miller |
| Studio | MGM Television / 20th Television |
| Platform | Hulu (U.S.) / Disney+ (International) |
| Series Premiere | April 8, 2026 |
| Composer | Adam Taylor |
| Music Supervisor | Brittany Whyte |
| Score Album Label | TBA (not officially released as of April 2026) |
| Score Album Release Date | Pending |
| Episodes | 10 (airing weekly through May 27, 2026) |
| Episode Runtime | ~60 minutes |
The Testaments arrives as one of the most anticipated sequels in recent streaming history, and its music reflects that ambition fully. The series premieres on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in most major international markets. Composer Adam Taylor returns to score the production, continuing his long-running collaboration with the creative world of Gilead that began in 2017.
The musical score and atmospheric tunes in the first ten episodes reflect the oppressive environment and the shifting allegiances of the protagonists. Music supervisor Brittany Whyte — known for her work on Riverdale — handles the licensed needle-drops, selecting tracks that contrast the sterile control of Gilead with flickers of the outside world bleeding in through radio signals, flashbacks, and stolen moments of youth.
As of the series premiere, no official score album has been announced. The needle-drop selections from Episodes 1–3 are confirmed and documented below. This article will be updated as the season progresses and as any score release is confirmed.
Who Composed The Testaments Soundtrack?
Adam Taylor is an American composer based in Long Beach, California, known for his subdued, emotional, and minimalistic scores.
Taylor taught himself guitar at age fifteen and played in rock bands during high school and college before creating meditative music for church prayer meetings, which led to his discovery by writer/director Eliot Rausch and early collaborations on short films. Those short films quietly launched a career that would eventually define the sound of one of television’s darkest and most beloved dramas.
He contributed to August: Osage County and received his first solo feature credit with Meadowland before scoring Before I Fall and I Think We’re Alone Now.
Taylor’s breakthrough came with Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, where he spent eight seasons building one of the most distinctive and emotionally complex scores in prestige television. He gained widespread recognition for his eerie, dystopian score for the series, blending orchestral elements, vintage synthesizers, tape manipulation, and innovative sound design to create a tense and immersive atmosphere.
Taylor’s work on The Handmaid’s Tale was twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, in 2019 and 2021.
He is returning to score The Testaments after having previously scored all episodes of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
The Testaments Confirmed Licensed Songs / Needle Drops (Episodes 1–3)
The following songs have been verified from the first three episodes of The Testaments, which premiered simultaneously on April 8, 2026. Scene context is included where confirmed.
The Testaments Episode 1 — “Precious Flowers”
- “Summer Song” by Remy Bond — Agnes narrates about growing up in Gilead as she reflects on her childhood dollhouse. She wears a Plum/purple outfit.
- “Dreaming” by Blondie — Agnes rides a bus and narrates about childhood field trips. The track continues during an exterior sequence as Agnes and fellow Plums spend time near a tree.
- “Dreams” by The Cranberries — Daisy listens to Radio Free Boston and hears a message for the “paperclip club.” Agnes gets her period. Scores the episode’s final moments and end credits.
The Testaments Episode 2 — “Perfect Teeth”
- “Chapel of Love” by The Dixie Cups — Agnes meets with the Commanders while wearing a teal shawl. Scores the episode’s final moments and end credits.
The Testaments Episode 3 — “Daisy”
- “California Dreamin'” by Scala & Kolacny Brothers — Scores the opening sequence. A group of hooded women in white gather honey from bees. Daisy narrates about how she ended up in Gilead.
- “Zep Step” by The Wytches — Daisy smokes a joint in a flashback. Music plays from a nearby speaker. She talks to her boyfriend Justin (Fionn Laird) about having sex.
- “Cherry on Top” by Tabitha Meeks & Teddy Morgan — Agnes and her classmates visit the home of a character named Penny (Ellen Olivia). Plays as they receive a tour and Penny mentions a possible pregnancy.
Note: There are 8 songs featured in the soundtrack for The Testaments: Season 1. The remaining confirmed song(s) from later episodes will be added as the season airs weekly through May 27, 2026.
The Testaments Score Highlights
Because the official score album has not yet been released, individual cue titles and track durations are not yet publicly available. However, based on the first three episodes, several musical moments stand out.
The opening of Episode 3, “Daisy” pairs the choir-version of “California Dreamin'” by Scala & Kolacny Brothers with the haunting image of veiled women harvesting honey — a pairing that immediately signals Taylor and Whyte are working in concert, using licensed music not as background noise but as narrative punctuation.
Taylor’s original score underneath these episodes continues his signature technique of emotional restraint. Where a less experienced composer might reach for swelling strings, Taylor tends to pull back — letting tension breathe and accumulate across scenes rather than resolve. This approach, which served The Handmaid’s Tale so well for eight seasons, translates powerfully into a story now centered on younger characters navigating a world they were born into rather than one they lost.
The contrast between Blondie’s “Dreaming” — bright, propulsive, and deeply tied to a pre-Gilead world — and the suffocating stillness of Taylor’s original score is one of the season’s early musical ideas: the outside world exists, it has a sound, and it’s nothing like where Agnes and Daisy live.
The Testaments Official Tracklist
The official score album for The Testaments Season 1 has not been released as of April 10, 2026. No label, track titles, or release date have been confirmed. This section will be updated once an official soundtrack is announced or released.
For fans of Taylor’s previous work, the The Handmaid’s Tale scores are available on streaming platforms and provide a strong reference point for the sonic world he is continuing here.
Adam Taylor — Selected Composer Filmography
| Year | Title | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | August: Osage County | Film (additional music) |
| 2015 | Meadowland | Film |
| 2017 | Before I Fall | Film |
| 2017–2025 | The Handmaid’s Tale | TV Series (54 episodes) |
| 2017–2018 | Damnation | TV Series |
| 2018–2020 | Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | TV Series |
| 2018 | I Think We’re Alone Now | Film |
| 2020 | The Right Stuff | TV Series |
| 2023 | Knuckles | Series |
| 2023 | The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday | Movie |
| 2024 | Riff Raff | Film |
| 2026 | The Testaments | TV Series |
Where to Listen to The Testaments Soundtrack?
The Testaments streams on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in most major international markets. The licensed needle-drop songs — including tracks by Blondie, The Cranberries, and The Dixie Cups — are available to stream individually on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music. No official score album has been released yet, but once confirmed, it is expected to be widely available across all major platforms.
The official score album, once released, is expected to follow the same distribution path as the Handmaid’s Tale scores — widely available across all major streaming platforms.
FAQs
1. Who composed the score for The Testaments?
Adam Taylor composed the original score. He is best known for scoring all eight seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu, for which he received two Emmy nominations in 2019 and 2021.
2. Who is the music supervisor for The Testaments?
Brittany Whyte serves as music supervisor. She is also known for her work on Riverdale.
3. How many episodes does The Testaments have?
Season 1 consists of 10 episodes, premiering with the first three on April 8, 2026, and releasing new episodes weekly every Wednesday through May 27, 2026.
4. Has an official score album been released?
No. As of April 2026, no official score album has been announced or released. The licensed needle-drop songs are available individually on streaming platforms, but no label or release date has been confirmed for Taylor’s original score.
5. What songs are in The Testaments so far?
Confirmed needle-drops include “Dreaming” by Blondie, “Dreams” by The Cranberries, “Chapel of Love” by The Dixie Cups, “California Dreamin'” by Scala & Kolacny Brothers, “Zep Step” by The Wytches, “Summer Song” by Remy Bond, and “Cherry on Top” by Tabitha Meeks & Teddy Morgan, among others.
6. Where can I watch The Testaments?
The series streams on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in most major international markets.
7. How does The Testaments relate to The Handmaid’s Tale musically?
Both series share the same composer, Adam Taylor, giving the sequel direct musical continuity with the original. Taylor’s approach — minimalist, tension-forward, blending orchestral elements with synthesizers — carries over into the new series, grounding it in the same sonic world while shifting focus to a younger generation of characters.