'True Detective' Has A Perfect Song For Season 2

Though you might not remember any of the details about the Yellow King from True Detective Season 1, chances are you still remember its opening title sequence perfectly. It featured images transposed over other images, bleeding into one another, all set to The Handsome Family's "Far From Any Road." It was the perfect song to open the show, as it set the tempo for the slow burning mystery that unraveled during the series' freshmen season. Now back for another season, the show has a whole new title sequence, so what's the song in True Detective Season 2's opening credits? HBO has done it again; you're going to be humming this one all summer.

True Detective Season 2 focuses on cops (and maybe highways?) in California. To set the mood this time around, Leonard Cohen's "Nevermind" accompanies the opening sequence. Just like with Season 1, we see many superimposed images on top of other images in the opening, and you should try to keep track of all of them, because we'll probably see them pop up during the show, just like with Season 1.

This song is also completely different than the one from Season 1, and I'm glad. "Far From Any Road" really played into the kinda sleepy, laidback feeling that Rust and Hart had during their Louisiana-set True Detective season. But now we're in California, so everything has to change. "Nevermind" is upbeat and punchy, but still drives home the idea that nothing is going to be what it seems this season, and everyone's going to have some sort of secret.

Even the lyrics seem to fit perfectly with what — I assume – we'll find inside this season. "This story's told / with facts and lies. I have a name / but Nevermind," the song says. Well done, True Detective. Listen to the full song below before you get a glimpse of it again during the Season 2 premiere on Sunday night.

Who's the man behind the music? You've probably come across Leonard Cohen before, though you might not realize it. He's part singer, part spoken-word artist, plus he's a poet, so all of his songs hit your feels on multiple levels. He grew in popularity back in the '60s with folk songs, and his latest album — the one that features "Nevermind" — was released a day after his 80th birthday.

Most notably, Cohen is the original artist behind "Hallelujah," a song often associated with its 1994 cover by Jeff Buckley. Listen to Cohen's original version below for a totally different feeling to the song.

And then, of course, get back to playing "Nevermind" on repeat as you cruise down the highway and get ready for another season of True Detective.

Image: Lacey Terrell/HBO