Finneas O’Connell Uses Bee-Like Synth Sounds to Create the Tense Atmosphere in ‘Beef’ – Sound & Screen TV
Finneas O’Connell, an Oscar winner for the James Bond song “No Time to Die,” is renowned for producing hits like his sister Billie Eilish’s Grammy-winning track “Bad Guy.” In a recent conversation, he shared one of his creative methods: finding synthesizers that emulate the sound of a “swarm of bees.”
Living near a golf course in Los Angeles, O’Connell draws inspiration from the natural rhythms around him. “You walk by and you hear all of this kind of rhythm in nature… I wanted that to be part of the stressful tempo of the show,” he explained. He experimented with synth patches, adjusting their envelopes and cutoffs, and discovered that a slight pitch bend created a sound akin to buzzing insects. “If it stresses me out, it’ll probably stress everybody out,” he noted.
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The second season of Beef continues to deliver a tense experience. Premiering last month, it follows a Gen-Z couple who witness a heated confrontation between their Millennial boss and his wife. Newly engaged Ashley Miller, played by Cailee Spaeny, and Austin Davis, portrayed by Charles Melton, become ensnared in the troubled marriage of general manager Joshua Martín (Oscar Isaac) and his spouse Lindsay Crane-Martín (Carey Mulligan).
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O’Connell’s musical score for Beef intertwines with nostalgic selections from artists like LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, and M83, culminating in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll” at the end of episode two. He aims to highlight themes of self-perception, relationships, and personal insecurities through these choices.
One key piece, “Vicious Thoughts,” begins as a delicate piano melody before transforming into a more aggressive synth-driven sound. “I just started writing things that felt like they would reflect what I felt the characters were going through while I was reading the scripts,” he explained. “’Vicious Thoughts’ was this melody that felt like a very pure, optimistic, slightly sentimental thing, hopefully. Then I just wanted it to become this cacophonous, violent sound.”
O’Connell, who recently attended the Los Angeles premiere of Eilish’s concert film Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live In 3D, where he appeared on the red carpet, shared his enthusiasm for composing music for television and film. He made his debut with Apple TV’s Disclaimer prior to his work on Beef.
Reflecting on his early passion for music, O’Connell noted that he and a friend learned the theme from House of Cards on piano when he was just 15. “It’s certainly a world that I’m an enthusiastic audience member of. I just am such a fan of film and television,” he said.
Fans can anticipate further insights with the upcoming panel video on Monday.
