Showtime's Dexter: New Blood came to a thrilling end, wrapping up the story of the deadly television serial killer Dexter (and also the most beloved) after its botched finale in season 8. The tone and mood of the new show was very different from the original run - sunny Miami was swapped for cold and blue Iron Lake - and one thing that made the show very different from seasons 1-8 was the music.
Dexter featured very Latin- and Cuban-inspired music in the Miami counterpart, which reflected the neon-lit, crime drenched environment of the show well at the time. The music in Dexter: New Blood is quite distinctive, with tunes from the 50s, 80s, and modern cuts peppering each scene with a quaint, vintage mood. The Dexter score was clearly curated carefully, and it shows.
"All I Have To Do Is Dream" - The Everly Brothers
A clever trick that the show used this season (as they have before) was to set a gory death scene to a dreamy, happy song. Kurt Caldwell was one of the best new characters on Dexter: New Blood, and using this soothing melody by the legendary The Everly Brothers as he embalmed a woman's body was eerie to watch but also conveyed the mood of the scene perfectly.
The lyrics also hold a creepy message about how Kurt could keep these women with him forever to satisfy his twisted urges, making the sweet love song into something ominous.
"A Wolf At The Door" - Radiohead
Seeing Dexter get caught for his crimes in a way that he couldn't escape didn't make Angela a likable character, since she was the one who played the biggest role in catching him for his crimes. Her confrontation and subsequent arrest was scored to a perfect song by Radiohead, which spoke of a father's worry about his children and being put away.
The lyrics speak about putting oneself away, calling a doctor to get checked on, and being hunted down. Because Dexter is such a beloved character, it's easy to forget that he was actually psychopathic and sociopathic in nature, yet he only worried for Harrison at this moment, which reflected in the music.
"All Alright" - Sigur Ros
One of Sigur Ros' few songs in English, "All Alright," appeared in the show when Dexter tracked the white buck, and managed to make eye contact with it. Before he started killing again (his biggest change from the old Dexter), it had become a routine for him to track the beautiful creature and watch it carefully.
The haunting but pretty tune signified a connection between the buck and Dexter, and it was almost his only tie to sanity and staying on track to not killing people. Matt Caldwell of course, ruined it all.
"Heart Of Glass" - Blondie
Blondie's "Heart Of Glass" is already an iconic song that has made a resurgence on social media, so it was a pleasant surprise to see it playing in Dexter: New Blood. Dexter's newfound attempts at looking and feeling human involved going line dancing to the Iron Lake Tavern, and the good folks of the town danced to this song.
The 70s disco track remains incredibly popular even today, and was one of the few trending songs to appear on Dexter: New Blood. Watching Dex shake a leg to it was also a treat for fans.
"War" - Idles
It was quite clear that Dexter and this season's antagonist were going to engage in battle at some point, and that antagonist turned out to be Kurt Caldwell. Kurt was formidable, and not afraid to retaliate in big ways since he thought he was untouchable, and that included burning down Dexter's house.
This chaotic rock track made for ideal music for the scene, where Kurt went all out, spraying Dexter's house with oil and setting it on fire, as a final act of revenge on the man who found him out.
"Runaway" - Del Shannon
Music played a big part in Kurt's sick killing ritual, and this happy-go-lucky oldies song played more than once during the show. Having heard it with his abusive father, he would play this song whenever he would let one of his captive girls out, and make them run to it while he hunted them down like prey.
Sickeningly, every time he killed, he would also go to his diner and play it on the jukebox and dance to it, sometimes with Tess, about once every two months, which signified his kill cycle. Dexter doing away with him was one of his best kills.
“Ketamine” - Princess Goes To The Butterfly Museum
Dexter: New Blood retconned the drug that Dexter would use to incapacitate his victims from M99 to ketamine, which was one of the little trails of evidence that led Angela to discovering that he was the Bay Harbor Butcher. Coincidentally, this song by the name of the drug is actually by Michael C. Hall's own band, featuring vocals by him.
Drugs and drug dealers that were almost done away with because of Dexter were also dosed with ketamine, so it was only fitting that they stuck this song by Hall and his band in the credits.
"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Another song that has been trending on social media in bite-sized videos, Brenda Lee's festive tune was used for an actually happy scene in the show for once, as opposed to the other Christmas song that was used while Dexter got rid of Kurt Caldwell's body ("It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year").
After Harrison and Dexter took care of Kurt, they decided to celebrate the holiday with Angela and Audrey in their home, laughing and exchanging presents under Angela's growing suspicions of Dexter's crimes.
"Dream Romance" - Jordan Brothers
Watching Kurt being taken into custody from his own diner was a poetic moment, especially after Angela found Iris' long lost body. The whole sequence was shot and edited to perfection, and another oldies track played as Kurt went through the motions of getting mugshots and fingerprints.
Very similar to the music that Kurt listened to himself, this song was a romance ballad with wistful undertones, punctuating Dexter's own delight at getting Kurt caught, which meant that he would stay away from Harrison.
"I Should Live In Salt" - The National
A tearful farewell song, it was befitting of the moment that Harrison shot and killed his father, and left town. Dexter thought that the two of them were the same, but Harrison had more of a conscience than Dexter did, which led to his death.
As Harrison drove out of Iron Lake on Angela's behest, this ebullient sounding, but extremely sad song played as a track for Harrison's liberation from his past and demons. He left Dexter behind, but he knew that it was for the best.