rivalry -> distant rivalry
most people i'm sure are familiar with the show's main theme and opening track rivalry. it appears a few different times throughout the season; multiple times in episodes 1 and 2 and later at the beginning of episode 5 after shane wakes up with rose and is scrolling social media.
the song distant rivalry, meanwhile, is almost musically identical to rivalry, but the mix is more subdued, giving the music an almost under-water like quality and literally making it sound "distant." which makes sense, because this track plays during the game shane and ilya play against each other while shane is dating rose in episode 4.
i love the contrast of hearing a familiar melody but with a different quality of sound, and how it speaks to where shane and ilya are at in their relationship at the time.
trembling
the song trembling can be heard a few times throughout the season, but most notably, it plays during the beginning of the tampa sequence when ilya is waiting at the bar for shane to arrive, and then again we hear the intro of trembling in episode 6, right after david walks in on shane and ilya, as he's driving away.
musically, the song underscores moments of tension and anxiety; once for ilya, and later for shane.
heartbeat(s) I, II, III, and IV
the heartbeat series is one of my favourite little through-lines. i interpret each one as representative of shane's heartbeat, and musically they evolve throughout the show, almost like little nods to shane's growth throughout the story.
heartbeat I - plays during their hookup in nashville in episode 1, and has a musically desperate feeling to it, crescendos before tapering off once shane starts to feel unsure about having sex.
heartbeat II - plays during the scene in episode 2 where ilya is texting shane before their game. the synths have a kind of fluttering sound to them that makes me think about butterflies and nerves, mirroring shane's anticipation. the song literally sounds like how it feels to be flirted with.
heartbeat III - my favourite of the heartbeats. can be heard during the tuna melt couch scene. unlike the first two hearbeats, heartbeat III sounds much softer and airier, slower. it sounds different because things feel different at this point in the story.
*sad bonus detail - the song that plays immediately after this, when shane freaks out and runs away, is called flatline. oof.
heartbeat IV - finally, heartbeat IV can be heard as a brief interlude after shane comes out to rose. melodically, it's similar to heartbeat III, but feels heavier in terms of sound, deeper, more bass. it signals groundedness to me, like a musical representation of shane's evolution from the tuna melt scene to now. the same feeling, but more sure of himself now.
inferno -> fire escape
just a small one, but it makes me emo. most people know the song that plays during the vegas 2014 penthouse scene in episode 2 is called inferno, but when i tell you how much it broke me to know that the song that plays right after that, underscoring "we didn't even kiss" is called FIRE ESCAPE. ouch.
utopie I and II
this one really gets me. there are two instances where this theme can be heard, and both scenes represent moments of safety, peace, and release for shane. utopie I can be heard in episode 4, when ilya is asking shane to stay the night for the first time. the next time we hear this theme, utopie II, is during the scene with shane and yuna outside in episode 6 after he's come out to his parents.
it's the last piece of music from the score in the show.
two souls -> one soul
most people have picked up on this one, but i'm going to talk about it anyway. two souls is the backdrop for the balcony scene in episode 1, while one soul can be heard in episode 6, at the cottage when shane and ilya are sitting on the rock together, after they've said their "i love you"s. it's a really beautiful way to musically bookend the season.
what i think is really interesting about these two pieces, is that two souls follows the same chord progression as one soul, and would be nearly identical to it, except it's missing the piano melody at the forefront of one soul. it's made it so every time i listen to two souls now, i feel like i'm just waiting to hear the piano line from one soul but it's just...not there yet.
the first time we hear that piano theme from one soul is actually episode 5, right after the phone call scene where ilya confesses his love to shane in russian.
so how i interpret that is - the piano line from one soul is the show's love theme. both times we hear it (in episode 5 and in episode 6) are following confessions of love. that's why we don't hear it in two souls, because shane and ilya simply aren't there yet.
some extra little details that tickle my brain
in the song everybody's glory, which plays during the scene where the admirals win the cup, the opening synth kind of resembles the sound of a goal horn.
i want to win underscores ilya's speech before the stanley cup game, and the percussion mimics the rhythm of a crowd clapping at a sporting event.
i like that the song that plays during the press conference at the all star game in episode 1 is called common goal lol. it's obviously a cute nod to the books but it also speaks to the scene and the fact that shane and ilya professionally have the same ambitions.
the most upbeat banger on the entire soundtrack is titled hollanov (iktr), and it can be heard in episode 5, right after shane says he and rose weren't "compatible."