COURTESY OF NETFLIX
We lately had the possibility to interview Emmy-nominated composer David Buckley about his work on Netflix’s The Sandman season 2. We talk about composing difficult scenes, the present’s new themes, mythologies, and areas, amongst different matters.
David Buckley composed the soundtrack to The Sandman season 1, returning for its second and last season. Over the course of 12 episodes, the season introduces dozens of recent characters, not least the remaining members of The Limitless household, whereas exploring totally different world mythologies, corresponding to Norse and Greek. There are such a lot of musical kinds Buckley needed to stability within the last season. The ultimate result’s superb.
We lately obtained the possibility to speak with Buckley about his work on Netflix’s The Sandman season 2. Try our interview, which incorporates a few questions from followers!
What excited you probably the most about Season 2’s musical journey— be it new characters, new settings, or one thing else?
I believe probably the most thrilling factor about coming again for a second season of a present is that you simply get to play as soon as once more and also you get to re-explore what you created within the first season, however maybe with an added sense of confidence as a result of you realize that the present has already been out and that it’s been embraced and favored and recommissioned. And I believe that in all departments, you are feeling a way of individuals genuinely need extra, and other people need you to develop and uncover and proceed looking for issues. So I believe that’s probably the most thrilling factor.
It’s returning to one thing that you simply created that’s acquainted, however you may have the chance to begin presenting issues in new mild. And completely with the brand new characters. And never solely experiencing their journeys and feelings, but additionally Dream, the Sandman, he has so much to take care of on this season. I’ve obtained to watch out about spoilers. However displaying the event of his character and the depths and the highs and lows that he goes by is one thing that was actually, actually satisfying.
And total, I believe it was what the showrunner [Alan Heinberg] stated to me: this has all the time been a present about feelings and by no means extra so than in season two. It’s promoting human feelings.
The Sandman. Tom Sturridge as Dream in episode 202 of The Sandman. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2025
For season 2, did you rework and construct on Dream’s theme to replicate how he has modified? If that’s the case, what did you alter?
Sure, I imply, completely. He’s navigating considerably new pastures. And the theme does change, it finds new twists and new turns, as his character does. And he goes by some fairly gut-wrenching experiences, which his theme wants to have the ability to accommodate.
I didn’t shift the observe up this fashion or shift the observe down that manner. I imply, probably I did, however that’s type of slightly little bit of a weird evaluation. It’s extra, as I’m watching the episode and seeing what Dream has to take care of, I’m type of attempting to let the music and his theme sort of equally observe his trajectory
Every of the Limitless has a singular theme. How did you method the duty of giving every sibling a definite musical motif, whereas making certain all of them complement one another?
In several episodes, totally different siblings seem. Typically we see one for plenty of episodes, generally they seem after which disappear. However nearly completely they’ve a musical theme or sound, I believe with one exception, the place she simply didn’t seem that always in comparison with the remaining. That was Despair. There’s a few instrumental moments the place she is there, nevertheless it was by no means sufficient actually to wedge in a theme for her. However the others undoubtedly have thematic identities.
It was actually enjoyable to develop that. There are a few key moments within the present the place all of them collect collectively for numerous occasions. And it was enjoyable, type of weaving their themes right into a sort of suite of right here comes one particular person presenting the theme, and so forth. I imply, clearly, we dwell with sure characters greater than others. There’s a rating and a hierarchy. I think that’s largely primarily based on the type of supply materials that was chosen.
Season 2 takes a deeper dive into mythology, exploring tales just like the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and encounters with Norse gods, Faeries, and so forth. Have been there any particular devices or musical textures you used to offer their themes a cultural and emotional id?
Faerie is a very fascinating one, as a collective. They seem all through the present; they’re most likely probably the most vital additions. They usually have what I wish to take into account fairly a robust theme. The primary introduction is inside the context of a Shakespeare play.
There’s a quasi-Elizabethan-Shakespearean sound world to them. So it allowed me to type of indulge my fantasies in early music, which I all the time love to do if I can. And on this case, it appeared very acceptable. They’ve a type of barely historic sound world happening intermingled with slightly little bit of Celtic. After which there’s a Greek tragedy element the place I did use some historic Greek instrumentation.
The Sandman. Ruairi O’Connor as Orpheus in episode 205 of The Sandman. Cr. Courtesy Of Netflix © 2025
I did seek the advice of with a Greek specialist simply to seek out out what we do know. And I realised that — for the musicians who’re studying this — typically issues are written in barely uncommon time signatures in comparison with what we’d anticipate immediately. I realized slightly bit on the job about a few of that stuff. I all the time suppose that to type of attempt to recreate one thing from the previous is just not as enjoyable as saying, let the previous inform the long run. So take what you like about it, and let that be a type of springboard for no matter you wish to do..
We undoubtedly have taken cultural and historic concepts and performed with them all through the season with a few of these new characters.
Within the closing moments of Quantity 1, Dream reaches his most emotionally weak state in all the arc. How did you method scoring that second of tragedy?
It actually was a possibility for me to do what Allan stated he needed me to do, which is to make folks cry. I imply, it’s already fairly persuasive what’s on display, however let me be part of elevating he emotional stakes and letting the viewers endure and expertise the tragedy that Dream and everybody round him is experiencing.
And it’s fascinating, as a result of I’ve labored on different tasks the place administrators need me to maintain a maybe a cooler head and never remark a lot and let the drama do the heavy lifting. However what was very nice about this course of is that it was, “No Dave, you possibly can pour your emotion into this as properly, allow you to cry into your music and let that be a part of it. Let that be a part of the mourning and the wailing and the upset.” And I loved it, it felt liberating to simply put out some type of uncooked feelings.
There are some completely spellbinding scenes of tragedy and loss on this season. I believe individuals are gonna be in for a experience with lows, however there’s some highs as properly.
Was there something new that you simply found or realized whereas composing the rating for The Sandman?
Throughout the 2 seasons, I’ve gotten to know and fall in love with characters whom I didn’t know earlier than. It wasn’t a set of comics that I knew an entire lot about. My spouse truly had learn them and actually cherished them. I used to be studying on the job and discovering these folks as I went.
It’s onerous for me to think about these characters received’t have entered my life because it have been. And I don’t suppose they’ll ever go away. So I don’t know if I realized something in regards to the precise artwork of composition, essentially throughout this course of, however I’ve realized one thing in regards to the fantasy characters. They usually really feel like they’ve develop into type of part of me in their very own manner, which I believe is sort of beautiful.
Questions submitted by followers!
Wren (@WrenM2004): What was your favorite piece to compose?
I’ve simply been reducing the soundtrack album this final week, which comes out on the finish of the month, it’ll come out in time with the second supply of the present. That was a strategy of whittling down… God is aware of…8 hours of music into 80 minutes of music, which was fairly in its personal manner fairly a traumatic expertise.
I believe the Faerie stuff I’m fairly keen on. I believe it’s obtained a little bit of every little thing. It’s obtained some enjoyable. It’s obtained some deeply felt emotion. It’s obtained some epic grandeur. I consider all the brand new sounds and themes that I created for the season, that’s most likely the one that’s the most multifaceted, simply because that assortment of individuals from the fairy has fairly a little bit of actual property inside the present.
Cal (@Cal_120) What was probably the most difficult piece to compose?
Every little thing’s a problem, however nothing stands out as being, “How do I do that?” In the beginning of the season, there was a way of leaping again onto a horse, which I described early on on this interview as being enjoyable and thrilling. There’s additionally that slight intimidation about opening up a field that had, you realize, type of closed on the finish of season one and understanding that you can nonetheless do it may you can nonetheless function inside that universe.
I believe it was helped enormously by the truth that season two doesn’t really feel like a repetition of season one. You realize, I’ve labored on different reveals that’ve gone into a number of seasons, and sometimes you are feeling like we’ve type of performed this earlier than — that wasn’t the case right here. There was a lot new stuff to be realized and gathered that it made it much less of a problem.
I don’t recall any second the place it’s like, “Oh, God, you realize, what are we doing? We’d like to consider this.” It was onerous work, exceptionally onerous work, nevertheless it was difficult in one of the best sense of the phrase.
And eventually, one factor that followers have been pondering for years is the lyrics to the choral model of the present’s fundamental theme. What are they? Effectively, now, in the end, we now have ourselves a solution. The lyrics are as follows:
“Two gates of shadowy desires, baffling and unclear of which means. One gate is of horn, the opposite of ivory. Goals which go by ivory deceive, whereas these which go by polished horn deliver true issues to go when any mortal sees them.”
With Buckley’s work on The Sandman full, he’s now specializing in the brand new season of The Lincoln Lawyer. He’s additionally engaged on Runaway, primarily based on a Harlan Coben novel.
We thank David Buckley for his time. Please observe: This interview was edited for readability and brevity.
The Sandman Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.