The debut season of Girls received effusive praise, and viewers fell in love with the triple-threat director, writer, and lead actress Lena Dunham. Dunham plays Hannah Horvath, a twenty-something writer living in New York, who struggles with a steady job and a relationship with an uber-horny boyfriend. Among the complicated web of frenemies and ex’s, Hannah-plus-three live a life of “oh wells” and “what ifs”—all reflected in the show’s poppy, spontaneous soundtrack.

As if being a triple-threat wasn’t enough, Dunham also curated the tracks, which fall in step with the raw, lively youthfulness in Girls. Featuring the likes of Grouplove, Fleet Foxes, and The Vaccines, the mood swings of each episode are appropriately accented with down-tempo, somber tracks like “Fool To Cry” by Tegan and Sara. These are juxtapositioned with Santigold’s dance-infused song (quite fittingly) titled “Girls”—a standout track radiating an exuberant playfulness. The unique spectrum of songs encompasses a refreshing approach to documenting the characters’ daily lives, filled with good humour and bad luck.

But the track that epitomizes the show the best is Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own,” notoriously used at the end of episode three. The one song (of 19) that felt out of place was Michael Penn’s “On Your Way,” which is much too melodramatic and tacky, and misses the mark.

The tracks are hip, upbeat, and funky, radiating what HBO’s Girls is all about.