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Is Euphoria really Euphoria without Labrinth? That’s a big question that seems to be plaguing fans’ minds each week in the middle of season three.

“It’s literally a whole different show atp,” one person commented on social media a day after episode three aired on April 26.

As another viewer weighed in that same day, “I’m just realizing now I haven’t even been paying attention to the music and in past seasons. Like the music plays such a big part but because it’s not his music, it’s so irrelevant.”

It’s not too often that a show’s composer becomes just as recognizable as the project itself thanks to the music, but that’s exactly what happened to Labrinth after season one of the Sam Levinson-created drama debuted in 2019. The show became a cultural phenomenon not just because of its star-making performances, but also thanks to its eclectic needle drops and the musician’s genre-bending score that helped define the moody, dramatic atmosphere that captured the show’s intense highs and lows.

Labrinth’s talents even earned him an Emmy Award for best original music and lyrics for “All For Us” in season one, in addition to multiple other nominations.

“It’s truly gratifying for me or any artist to hear that their work resonates with people and that they appreciate it,” Labrinth tells The Hollywood Reporter of the legacy and impact he had on Euphoria‘s perception.

However, he shocked fans at the beginning of April when he announced that he wouldn’t be involved with the new season of Euphoria. “People will comfortably lie in this industry and still call themselves honest people. So no cap, I decided to remove whatever music I had in it,” he wrote on his Instagram Story regarding why he left the show. “I spoke to HBO, as far as I know, we are cool. I left because, last truth, when I work for someone, their vision is paramount to me, but I don’t let people treat me like shit.”

While specific details surrounding his reasons for departing the show are still unknown, he later told GQ that he felt like “the family and the fluidity started to deteriorate, and the creative camaraderie started to dissipate,” which led him to realize, “I know this is done, for me.”

He wasn’t replaced with just anyone in the industry. Hans Zimmer, one of the most celebrated film composers of all time, had initially joined to collaborate with Labrinth on the show’s music, but when the latter exited right before the season three premiere, Zimmer became the sole composer for the new season.

No one is criticizing Zimmer’s abilities; his credits and accolades speak for themselves. But when a show’s unique tone has already been established, like what Labrinth originated in the first two seasons, a sudden sonic shift to stray away from that sound can cause whiplash for viewers. That’s apparent even in just the first half of season three.

Kier Lehman is an Emmy-nominated music supervisor who’s worked on dozens of projects across film and TV, including Project Hail Mary, Abbott Elementary, Insecure and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He hasn’t watched this season of Euphoria and hasn’t followed the discourse around the score for season three, but in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he did emphasize more broadly the importance of maintaining a consistent sonic identity in a show.

“That’s important, especially in a longer series, to establish a sound and themes for characters or themes for situations,” he says. “And of course, that’s going to evolve as the series goes on, but I think it’s also really helpful in helping the audience and grounding the audience in the show.”

Lehman also says that it could be “pretty jarring” for audiences if they don’t receive the sound they expect.

“When you’re in a third season of a show, you’re pretty much hoping to get more of what you’ve already seen, and you’re wanting to continue on that ride that you’ve been on and you’re excited to get back into it after a break in between seasons,” he adds.

After each episode airs on Sunday, fans are quick to flood social media with critiques of the respective episode’s music choices. After episode three, fans mocked the song playing when Maddy (Alexa Demie) walked in to Nate (Jacob Elordi) and Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) wedding, synced to a whimsical marimba beat in the background. It was a disjointed choice for Maddy, a confident and sharp-tongued character who usually enters a room with a fierce aura. Longtime viewers were likely expecting more dramatic music to fit Maddy’s vibe in that scene. Instead, some compared the track to “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid.

Even before episode three, titled “The Ballad of Paladin,” viewers have been pointing out scenes where they felt it was evident that Labrinth’s music and sound were missing.

“With each episode it becomes clearer that labrinth’s soundtrack did a lot of heavy lifting for euphoria like the cinematography can do it’s part but it’s his music that truly gave every scene it’s emotional weight which is really missing this szn,” one person wrote on X. Another user shared, “#euphoria has been good, but you can tell that labrinth’s music being missed takes a way a lot of the pulling in during scenes.”

The singer-songwriter even happened to release his own single, “Shut Your Damn 95.7892,” the same day season three premiered (he was performing at Coachella that weekend too, so the release was likely timed to his show). After, fans took to TikTok to dub his song into the episode’s scenes to make it feel like the Euphoria they’ve grown to know and love.

When THR reached out to HBO about the online discourse, the network declined to comment.

The backlash Levinson’s show is facing over the music just proves that what audiences see on their screens is just as important as what they hear. And when you establish a unique tone for two full seasons, there’s going to be a stark difference that fans notice when that beloved sound is abruptly switched up.

“Part of what makes a show really special is having that unique sound that is something that people associate only with that show,” Lehman tells THR. “And when you hear that show or you think about the music or you hear it in the other room, you know what show it is because that has its own sound. And that’s something that you can get when you have an artist that already has their own voice and their own creative sound that they’ve built, and you can bring that in to use that as a part of the palette of your show.”