In a series focused on breaking into the music industry (and staying there), it's only natural that Carole & Tuesday has a phenomenal selection of original songs with varying genres, production, and complexity. Like any great music-themed anime, the songs aren't just props—they give the audience insight into the characters' personalities and situations. In Carole & Tuesday's case, the first volume of the soundtrack illuminates the state of Mars' music industry during the first season, and why Carole & Tuesday are an anomaly as budding artists.
To clarify, this list will cover only the songs performed by the series' characters during the season one story, excluding the instrumental OST tracks and opening/ending themes. If some of these songs are unfamiliar to you, most of them are available on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.
10 Mermaid Sisters - Galactic Mermaid
The later episodes of season one fulfill the classic anime tournament arc trope in the form of a televised singing competition. Much like the real deal, there are plenty of gimmicks and joke entries sprinkled in, and the Mermaid Sisters' performance of "Galactic Mermaid" is the most unexpected and hysterical of the whole competition.
This genderqueer acapella group lures the audience in with a seemingly harmless intro but quickly reveals the lyrics of their song are made up entirely of random, well-harmonized profanity. This inappropriate outburst, besides earning a huge laugh, is part of the reason an otherwise sweet, feel-good show has a TV-MA rating.
9 Ertegun - Who Am I The Greatest
Ertegun represents the epitome of success in the Mars music industry. The self-proclaimed greatest DJ ever makes his flashy introduction as a side character with his incredibly subtle "Who Am I The Greatest." Ertegun's narcissistic EDM anthem is mostly instrumental, featuring a vocalized synth, a somewhat minimalist drop, and a ton of lights.
It's perfectly on-brand for Ertegun to forego lyrics and make a track purely for people to dance to. At this point in the story, Ertegun has nothing to say with his music and is solely focused on celebrating his current success and fortune.
8 Crystal - Unbreakable
When Carole and Tuesday encounter Crystal at the Cydonia Festival, the seasoned pro shows them a brighter side of what success can look like in the music industry. After their disastrous meeting with Ertegun, the girls didn't have the most optimistic outlook.
Though the lyrics of the song "Unbreakable" reference some relationship drama in Crystal's life, the real importance is the performance itself. Not only is the song written and produced well, but it also gives Carole and Tuesday a positive role model and a better concept of fame to aspire to.
7 Cybelle - La Ballade
It's a bit weird to give Cybelle a shoutout given her stalking habits and eventual attack on Tuesday. Even so, Cybelle was talented enough to make it to the top eight in the Mars' Brightest competition, and her song "La ballade" is actually pretty good.
Another on-brand song on the soundtrack, "La ballade" is clearly a love song about Cybelle's unhealthy obsession with Tuesday. Sung in French to exemplify the depth of Cybelle's feelings, the song itself has a slightly distorted but otherwise common pop backing track with an eerie chorus melody that may unintentionally convey the sinister nature of her love.
6 Angela - All I Want
As designed, all of Angela's songs are perfect, factory-made pop hits. Out of her three performances during the Mars' Brightest competition, "All I Want" is likely the most superficial of the bunch, but that doesn't detract from the fact that it's a total earworm.
Upbeat and sugary, this song tells a manufactured story about Angela's frustration due to not being able to catch the eye of someone she wants to have a relationship with, despite her fame and influence. In reality, Angela is more focused on winning than anything else, but there may be a hint of truth in the themes of unfulfillment.
5 Pyotr - Love Yourself
"Love Yourself" is a surprisingly earnest song from the lively internet personality, Pyotr. Initially portrayed as carefree and a little shallow, this performance gave Pyotr a chance to open up about his past in a way his first song (which was mostly about dancing) couldn't.
After explaining the message of the song to the Mars' Brightest judges, Pyotr uses his trademark style of pop to convey his experience trying to fit in and being unhappy. The lyrics tell the story of how once he discovered "nothing's wrong with my heart, nothing's wrong with my head," Pyotr learned to accept himself as an individual, which led to his confidence as an internet personality.
4 Carole & Tuesday - Round & Laundry
Carole & Tuesday have to go near the top of the list—it's their show, after all. "Round & Laundry" started as a spur-of-the-moment jam in the duo's early days while waiting in a laundromat. It could be considered a sequel song to "The Loneliest Girl," marveling how a chance meeting between Carole and Tuesday made huge improvements in their lives.
"Round & Laundry" is one of the girls' more upbeat songs, and eventually adopts a rock flavor when they play it at the Cydonia Festival since they're filling in for the rock star Joshua. Unfortunately, they don't get to play the whole song, as Joshua rushes the stage unexpectedly and starts his own set.
3 Angela - Light A Fire
Not only is "Light A Fire" the song that wins Angela the Mars' Brightest competition and a record deal, but it's also her most honest performance in the first season. After watching Carole & Tuesday play and observing Angela's increasing desire for independence, Tao seems to lighten up a bit and has Angela switch to this song at the last minute.
Since Tao reveals his A.I. songwriting program is capable of reading Angela's subconscious while she's in the lab, the lyrics actually start to match what Angela is feeling. On top of the normal level of polish, Angela sings some pretty impressive low notes in "Light A Fire."
2 Carole & Tuesday - The Loneliest Girl
The melody that brought them together in the first place, "The Loneliest Girl" is the first song Carole and Tuesday write together. From workshopping chords on Carole's sofa to closing out the final round of Mars' Brightest, this is the most important (and possibly most catchy) song they write this season.
The girls eventually dedicate the song to anyone who has felt alone. Both sad and hopeful, "The Loneliest Girl" summarizes the world Carole and Tuesday lived in before meeting each other, and through a tearful moment, how the two wondered if their chance encounter was really the saving grace they hoped for.
1 Angela - Move Mountains
Giving Angela first place might be a controversial pick, but hey, it's what the show did for the whole first season. Angela's personality and songs are the perfect antitheses to Carole & Tuesday, and it sets her up to be the perfect rival for the main characters.
"Move Mountains" couldn't be farther from Carole & Tuesday's discography—scientifically produced by A.I. to be a "perfect" pop song, performed with technical proficiency instead of feeling, and chock-full of cliche lyrics with no deeper meaning to Angela. It's her debut song, and the result is exactly as predicted: an instant hit.