The Lowdown soundtrack guide: A complete list of the music in the FX crime drama

FX’s new crime series, The Lowdown, isn’t just grabbing people with its raw story and standout acting; it’s the music that really pulls you in.

The show, which dropped in late September 2025, stars Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon, a relentless citizen journalist. Critics are raving about how the series mixes old-school noir vibes with sharp, modern storytelling.

Tiffany Anders handles the music supervision, while JD McPherson brings in the original score. They don’t just use music for background noise; every song and instrumental has a purpose. You get a Tulsa blues, vintage country, synth soundscapes, and indie rap. It all ties back to the show’s core: corruption, digging for truth, and trying to stay afloat.

Alongside original tracks that drag you straight into North Tulsa’s gritty world, you will hear legends like J.J. Cale, Emmylou Harris, and Chet Baker.

The complete soundtrack of The Lowdown

Here is the list of 36 songs as featured on the FX Networks website:

The Lowdown’s music is incorporated right into the story. Outlets like The New Yorker and Vague Visages point out how mixing classic Tulsa soul, country-blues, and modern indie really nails the North Tulsa vibe. Tracks like J.J. Cale’s Sensitive Kind and Chet Baker’s I Get Along Without You Very Well don’t just nod to local music history; they wrap Lee Raybon’s investigations in this weary, searching mood that sticks with you.

What is The Lowdown about?

The Lowdown centers on Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), who runs a beaten-up bookstore in Tulsa and works as a part-time journalist. He is stubborn, a little worn down, and can’t let things go, especially after Dale Washberg, the troubled son of a powerful local family, turns up dead in what looks like a suicide.

Lee’s gut says something doesn’t add up. As he digs into Dale’s death, he starts peeling back layers of corruption, racism, and old wounds that Tulsa never really healed. There is real darkness hiding under the city’s surface, from white supremacist groups to crooked politicians.

The show doesn’t shy away from that. It mixes sharp, dark humor with a moody, noir vibe, all while taking shots at gentrification and reminding us of the scars left by the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Right from the beginning in The Lowdown Episode 1, Dale leaves a suicide note that just feels off. Lee can’t let it go. He sniffs out connections to Tulsa’s elite, Dale’s brother Donald, who is gunning for governor, is right in the thick of it, and starts making enemies fast. Lee takes a beating from skinheads, stumbles onto a stash of cash, and makes sure his daughter, Francis, is taken care of. The danger is real, but he pushes on.

The deeper Lee goes, the messier it gets. He crosses paths with Frank Martin, a shady real estate tycoon, and Allen Murphy, a criminal with deep white supremacist ties. All the while, Lee is trying (not always successfully) to be a dad to Francis. His relationships take hits, his ex-wife, Samantha, is fed up, and Deidra, who works for him, gets dragged into the chaos. Skinheads and dirty cops keep coming at Lee, but he is determined to blow the lid off a criminal network that has been preying on Tulsa’s most vulnerable for years.

As Lee keeps digging, the ugly truth about the Washbergs’ past comes up: land stolen, families ruined, and violence swept under the rug. Marty, a private investigator hired by Donald, starts trailing Lee but slowly realizes there is a much bigger conspiracy at play. Lee’s fight isn’t just his own anymore; the people around him, like Deidra and her family, get pulled into the fallout as Lee’s investigation turns increasingly dangerous.

Trending

By Episode 7, things get tense. Frank Martin is after Dale’s will, and he will do anything to get it, even if that means killing Arthur, an elderly Washberg relative who fakes dementia to stay alive a little longer. Arthur doesn’t make it. The stakes are higher than ever, with confrontations exploding over Tulsa’s racist past, shady church deals, and staged land-grab reenactments that keep popping up. Through it all, Lee keeps risking everything, determined to drag Tulsa’s secrets out into the light.

The penultimate hits hard. People die. Buried secrets about land, legacy, and political power finally spill out. Lee’s investigation threatens to take down the city’s old guard, but nothing’s safe, not his family, not the future of Tulsa’s marginalized communities, and definitely not Lee himself. Heading into the finale, The Lowdown leaves you wondering just how much truth one man can survive.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback