Andrew Bird has penned a new song for the HBO series The Pitt. The aptly titled “Need Someone,” which Bird wrote with the medical drama’s composer, Gavin Brivik, appears in the show’s next episode, set to air tonight (February 12) at 9 PM EST. Give it a listen below.
The new song is not Bird’s first creation for the small screen. He’s written music for FX’s Baskets and the 2021 PBS documentary series Storm Lake, and made appearances on FX’s Fargo and Disney’s The Muppets. He’s also scored a number of films, including Judd Apatow’s The Bubble (2022) and Lynn Shelton’s Outside In (2017).
Set in a Pittsburgh emergency room, The Pitt follows a group of doctors, nurses, and medical students as they navigate a single day’s work, with each episode chronicling one hour of their shift. The show is currently in its second season. Its first season, which premiered in January 2025, won five Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor for star Noah Wyle.
Bird released his most recent solo albums, Sunday Morning Put-On and Outside Problems, in 2024 and 2023, respectively. But technically, his latest full-length record was the collaborative Cunningham Bird with singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham. Last year, he also shared an expansive 20th-anniversary reissue of his 2005 indie rock classic Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs.
Read about the TV show’s minimalist score in Jeremy D. Larson’s essay Nothing Sounds as Good as The Pitt and see why Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs was included in The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s.
