The Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack includes music by Pixies, R.E.M. and Primus. This info article contains spoilers and song details for Netflix’s 2021 limited series. Check out more Vague Visages music guides in the Soundtracks of Cinema section.

Brand New Cherry Flavor stars Rosa Salazar as Lisa Nova. The filmmaker plans to adapt her surrealistic short into a Hollywood feature, but she’s betrayed by a sleazy producer (Eric Lange as Lou Burke) who plays by his own rules. Lisa then seeks revenge after meeting a witch doctor (Catherine Keener as Boro). Supervised by Kerri Drootin (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Charlie Haggard (Channel Zero), the Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack boasts a potent mix of alternative rocks hits that align with the early 90s setting. Here’s a Soundtracks of Television breakdown for every song.

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Brand New Cherry Flavor Soundtrack: Every Song in Episode 1 “I Exist”

• “Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Collins (0:00): The series begins with the Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack song playing over the opening title card. A cat sits the middle of a road while Lisa smokes and drive. “Another Day in Paradise” foreshadows a sudden change in the protagonist’s life (i.e. black magic and vomiting kittens).
• “Natural One” by Folk Implosion (0:02): After Lisa calls Code (Manny Jacinto), a motorcyclist begins following her. It’s later revealed that Salazar’s protagonist has been targeted by the witch doctor Boro. “Natural One” teases a blossoming friendship, one that will end with a crash and burn.
• “Debaser” by Pixies (0:13): Lisa receives a $10,000 check from Lou. She’s given the money as funding for an adaptation of her surrealist short film “Lucy’s Eye.” The song “Debaser” references Un Chien Andalou, the iconic 1929 collaboration between surrealists Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí.
• “California Shake” by Margo Guryan (0:16): The Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack song plays for a few seconds during a villa sequence. It captures Lisa’s vibe as she prepares to meet with the producer Lou.
• “Slow” by Superchunk (0:17): At Los Altos Hotel & Apartments, Lisa writes in her notebook. The song fades as she looks at a picture of her mother. The lyric “Don’t Look at Me, I’ve Been Here in My Place All Along” foreshadows a reunion between mother and daughter.
• “Lady of the Fire” by Helium (0:23): Lou arranges for Lisa to meet Alvin Sender (Patrick Fischler). Salazar’s character then puts makeup on in front of a mirror. “Lady of the Fire” correlates with the protagonist’s powers, as she quite literally sets a man on fire later on.
• “No Big Deal” by Love and Rockets (0:25): The Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack song kicks in during a cityscape visual before Alvin’s party. Lisa surveys the scene while Lou asks her to look “cool.” Lyrically, the song captures the producer’s opinion of the focal filmmaker.
• “Wild Thing” by The Creatures (0:49): Lisa states that she wants to set Lou’s life on fire. Boro agrees to help. After a kitten cries, “Wild Thing” plays as the episode ends.

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• “Fuzzy” by Grant Lee Buffalo (0:25): The song begins after Roy (Jeff Ward) tells Lisa that he dies in all of his movies. Moments later, the lyric “Bring Me Home / To This House of Many Days” complements a visual of downtown Los Angeles. The song aligns with Roy’s mindset, and also includes lyrics about driving down a street, which is exactly what the two characters do in the sequence.

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• “Low” by R.E.M. (0:07): The Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack song plays as Lisa paints at home on a wall. This scene itself mirrors a key moment in Joe Begos’ 2019 horror film Bliss.
• “Tasogare” by Mai Yamane (0:12): Lisa and Lou meet to discuss business. Salazar’s character isn’t happy about Jules Brandenburg (Jayson Blair) being selected as the director for her short film adaptation. Lou states that the music video filmmaker has “paid his dues.”
• “Forsythia” by Veruca Salt (0:17): Lisa and Christine (Hannah Levien) inspect vine that has grown down through the floor. Next, they accumulate pollen from the plant. The song title aligns with the scene’s yellow theme.

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Brand New Cherry Flavor Soundtrack: Every Song in Episode 4 “Tadpole Smoothie”

• “Is Love an Allusion” by Merrell Fankhauser (0:14): Lisa asks Boro to stop trolling Lou. She believes that their revenge plan has gone too far and wants to stop. “Is Love an Allusion” continues as Boro is identified as “Jennifer” at a pet store, which teases the premise for the next episode.

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Brand New Cherry Flavor Soundtrack: Every Song in Episode 5 “Jennifer”

• “Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Collins (0:00): A musical callback to the series’ first sequence. Boro visits a supermarket and gets meat for her group of zombie-like prisoners. The Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack song underscores the daily routine of Keener’s character.
• “Everything Is Real” by Prophecy (0:31): Mike (Leland Orser) wakes up with his head on a plate of pasta.
• “Le Premier Bonheur Du Jour” by Os Mutantes (0:33): Lisa flees from a monster, while Mary (Siena Werber) watches herself in the short film “Lucy’s Eye.” Lisa is attacked by James (Sean Owen Roberts).

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• “Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers” by Primus (0:24): The Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack song kicks in during a drug-themed conversation between Lisa and Boro. Salazar’s character then drives around with Code and Christine. Primus’ tune aligns with the gritty nature of downtown Los Angeles.
• “Tomorrow, Wendy” by Concrete Blonde (0:35): After Jonathan (Daniel Doheny) calls Lou, Lisa gets rid of James’ body. Salazar’s character compares the experience to “opening a birthday present,” a moment that is followed by the lyric “It Is Complete Now / Two Ends of Time Are Neatly Died.”

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Brand New Cherry Flavor Soundtrack: Every Song in Episode 7 “Egg”

• “Violence” by Low (0:16): The Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack song can barely be heard as Lisa talks with Roy. The actor isn’t thrilled about his recent experience being an accomplice to a murder cover-up. The song title aligns with Roy’s perspective when assessing Lisa (“You Can’t Trust Violence”).
• “Difficult Fun” by The Slits (0:31): Boro begins preparing a meal. She chops vegetables and mixes a “freaky egg” with “sex magic sweat.” Boro also adds a severed ear to the blender. For her, this is difficult fun.
• “Season Of The Witch” by Luna (0:38): Lisa looks at a faceless figure and spots a pink door. The lyrics are heard as Salazar’s character picks up a key. Ralph (Darcy Laurie) shoots at Roy and Lisa as the episode ends.

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• “Eternal Flame” by Bangles (0:00): Boro shuffles tarot cards at the beginning of the episode, which is set five months prior the main storyline. A client receives a Devil card and wonders about the significance. “Eternal Flame” complements the conversational themes.
• “Rikki, Don’t Lose That Number” by Boticelli (0:37): Now a blind man, Lou wishes Lisa good luck as she leaves a hospital room. The series ends as Salazar’s character buys a one-way ticket to her native São Paulo, Brazil. The Brand New Cherry Flavor soundtrack song implies that Lisa may reach out to Lou in the future.

Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.