As Foundation returns to Apple TV+ for its highly anticipated third season on , fans will also be treated to the release of a brand-new companion soundtrack. The Foundation: Season 3 (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack), featuring music by Bear McCreary and his team at Sparks & Shadows, will be available digitally on the same day as the season premiere—perfectly timed for those ready to dive back into Isaac Asimov's sprawling universe.
Based on Asimov's legendary series of novels, Foundation follows a group of exiles on a vast, galaxy-spanning mission to preserve knowledge and rebuild civilization as the mighty Galactic Empire teeters on the edge of collapse. The new season, set 152 years after the events of Season 2, introduces new challenges, alliances, and power plays in a game of cosmic stakes. Joining the stellar cast are three-time Emmy winner Cherry Jones (Succession, The Handmaid's Tale) and Academy Award winner Troy Kotsur (CODA), adding even more depth and gravitas to the ensemble.
Composer Bear McCreary, a frequent collaborator on genre-defining series like Battlestar Galactica, Outlander, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, returns to score Foundation's third season with a fresh approach to its evolving narrative.
“We've honored the musical DNA of earlier seasons, but the score for the third season turned darker, grittier, more primal,” McCreary explains. “Where the previous chapters of Foundation gazed outward, painting on a vast, galactic canvas, this season drills inward—into the psyches and destinies of its central characters, as they march ever closer to the inevitable. Our music mirrors this descent. We are all grateful to be a part of this remarkable narrative universe.”
According to co-composer Etienne Monsaingeon, the introduction of the formidable new character, The Mule, a mutant with mind-bending powers, brought unique creative challenges.
“The Mule bends minds to his will through a mysterious and singular instrument: the Visi-sonor. Imagining the sound of this alien instrument was at the heart of our musical challenge this season. It had to be unearthly. Guttural. Hypnotic. A sound that unsettles, strips away the listener's defenses.”
To bring this otherworldly concept to life, McCreary and Monsaingeon crafted a hybrid soundscape using a wide range of unconventional instruments and techniques.
“We combined the feral brass of the ancient Celtic instrument the carnyx, the haunting strings of the yaylı tanbur, spectral theremins, vocal manipulations, and layers of synthesizers, all intricately woven and distorted,” Monsaingeon says. “What resulted was neither wholly acoustic nor electronic—a hybrid soundscape that felt unearthed rather than composed.”
McCreary began his career under the mentorship of legendary composer Elmer Bernstein and quickly made his mark with a bold, modern score for Battlestar Galactica in 2004. Since then, he's become one of the most sought-after composers in the industry, winning three Emmy Awards, two BAFTAs, and twelve International Film Music Critics Association Awards—including Score of the Year in 2024. Outside the studio, he is also busy performing live. His Themes & Variations world tour continues this month with a four-date stop in Australia, including Melbourne (The Forum, July 23), Sydney (The Enmore Theatre, July 24), Brisbane (Eatons Hill Hotel, July 25), and Perth (Astor Theatre, July 28).
Following successful runs across Europe and North America, these shows offer fans a rare opportunity to hear McCreary’s cinematic soundscapes performed live. Tickets are available at bearmccreary.com/events.
In the gaming world, McCreary’s epic scores for God of War and God of War Ragnarök earned him both BAFTA Awards and Grammy nominations. Earlier this year, he also released The Singularity, a hard-rock concept album featuring Slash, Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), and Rufus Wainwright, among others.
Foundation: Season 3 (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack) Track Listing:
- The Second Foundation
- Rossem
- The Mule
- Ignis Love Story
- Novacula
- Toran & Bayta
- Border Betrayal
- Mycogen
- Day Trip
- The Sacratorium
- Total Eclipse
- Vault Breach
- Dawn Rises
- In the Heart of Us
- Brother's Wrath