Netflix’s “Beef” follows the escalating road-rage incident between wealthy entrepreneur Amy (Ali Wong) and failing contractor Danny (Steven Yeun). As Amy and Danny relish in vengeful schemes against one another, meanwhile concealing the extent of their discontent from their friends and family, composer Bobby Krlic opted for hits from the ’90s to mark the true emotional expression the pair is craving.
“The ’90s was this golden period where people just had their hearts on their sleeves with that kind of music,” Krlic told TheWrap. “They just express things very matter of factly and in a really unique, emotional way.”
Each episode in the 10-episode series concludes with a different ’90s hit, including Incubus’ “Drive, The Offspring’s “Self Esteem,” Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” and Tori Amos’ “Cornflake Girl,” among others. “All the songs say something unique,” Krlic added.
With the ’90s inspiration tracing back to Krlic’s adolescence, Krlic and creator Lee Sung Jin immediately bonded over their shared influences and love for this moment in music history, making Krlic’s work on the Netflix dramedy “the most fun, musical experience of [his] life.”
“This is music that’s been in me since I was 13. You know, that I used to make in bands when I was a kid, and immediately me and Sonny (Lee Sung Jin), it was like we had all the same influences, all the same musical tastes,” Krlic said. “It was a really amazing opportunity to kind of bring up all these emotions from being younger and kind of refine them and work out a way to articulate the show.”
As the ’90s songs embrace angst freely and unapologetically, Amy and Danny also unleash their repressed shame and rage on one another as their escalating revenge plots threaten to destroy every part of their lives.
“They’re both just really fed up — they’re really fed up and overwhelmed,” Ali Wong told TheWrap. “It’s just at their threshold point … Sometimes when you see people … they’ve come down from being overwhelmed, but they’re just both like right here, it’s … ripe.”
Krlic, who is also known by his stage name The Haxan Cloak, will reunite with Ari Aster to compose the upcoming Joaquin Phoenix-led “Beau is Afraid” after teaming up with the director for “Midsommar.”
“Beef” is streaming on Netflix.
