Is Off Campus set to launch the 2026 summer playlist?
Since the launch of Amazon Prime’s latest box office series, ‘Off Campus’, with nearly 40 million views within its first two weeks of debuting, the soundtrack characterising the story line has reached our screens just in time for summer 2026.
Music News Blitz writer Emma Corrigan explores the series’ most defining sounds.
In the streaming era, TV soundtracks have become one of the most powerful tools for music discovery and the foundations for the ‘next era’.
Set against the backdrop of university life, the story follows music student Hannah Wells, played by Ella Bright, and renowned hockey player Garratt Graham (Belmont Cameli), whose paths eventually meet as they navigate campus life and overcome personal battles.
Romance and drama
With a culmination of romance and drama, the soundtrack accompanies the characters to captivate every moment.
Hannah Wells, for example – the introverted and artsy musician – is captured against artists like Mazzy Star and Bea, with the music shifting to The Black Keys as she gains more confidence.
Meanwhile Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) – her best friend and polar opposite who exudes confidence from the entrance – is matched with ‘On the floor’ by Jennifer Lopez and a blend of Suki Waterhouse to express her ambition as an acting major and encouraging Hannah out of her shell.
Amongst the soundtrack includes iconic rock musician Billy Idol, indie pop star Role Model and Lady Gaga alongside the lead protagonist Hannah Wells’ original songs such as ‘Page One’, highlighting the actor’s music career.
Musical identity
With a collaboration of pop, alternative and classic rock, the series has established a genre spanning musical identity that the audience can resonate with, emphasising how TV hits can become integrated into our playlists.
When it comes to TV reflecting music culture, Prime’s coming of age romantic drama “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has had a similar impact as Off Campus.
As the three-part series that has set the tone for the last few years, the novel-based adaptation captures the sense of coastal summer nostalgia, using bittersweet music to capture fleeting moments of youth and a timeline “measured in summers”.
The dreamy perspective can be juxtaposed with life in “Off Campus”, with throwbacks and indie pop that reflect the spontaneity and chaos of college life.
Together, these dramas illustrate the role of music in television, and how they underscore emotional connection with the audience, turning pivotal scenes into nostalgic songs that audiences continue to return to.
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Here are some songs that have returned to the charts from both series:
The Summer I Turned Pretty:
“Snow on the beach” – Taylor Swift
“Lacy” – Olivia Rodrigo
“Everywhere, Everything” – Noah Kahan (feat. Gracie Abrams)
“Brazil” – Declan Mckenna
“Out of the woods” – Taylor Swift
Off Campus:
“Dancing with myself” – Billy Idol
“On the floor” – Jennifer Lopez
“Howlin’ for you” – The Black Keys
“Dirty Little Secret” – After Hours, Josh Heuston
“We never dated” – sombr
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