The White Lotus doesn't work without the eerie mystery that rests under the surface of every encounter between characters on the popular HBO series. And in order for an audience to completely lean into the suspense, they have to be fully grounded in it. That's where composer Cristobal Tapai de Veer comes in. In the latest episode of The Breakdown, the creator of that haunting The White Lotus theme song, “Renaissance," talks to Rolling Stone about stirring up emotions through music and why imperfections can actually make his compositions even better.

"I heard lots of people saying that they felt anxious about the show, about the music —tense and whatnot," Tapia de Veer explains. "But they still like it and they can stop listening to it." Earlier this year, the composer tested the limits of just how much of an ear-worm "Renaissance" could be when he teamed up with Tiësto for the first-ever official remix of the theme song. Seeing the way people latched onto the song, despite him having rushed to complete it in the midst of multiple other projects, revived Tapia de Veer's love for it.