diff --git a/preload/scripts/characters/pico-playable.hxc b/preload/scripts/characters/pico-playable.hxc
index f7f31c3ed..9c7e557bb 100644
--- a/preload/scripts/characters/pico-playable.hxc
+++ b/preload/scripts/characters/pico-playable.hxc
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ class PicoPlayerCharacter extends MultiSparrowCharacter {
 			if (GameOverSubState.blueBallSuffix == '-pico-explode') {
 				// Explosion death animation.
 				doExplosionDeath();
+				return; // Don't play the stab death animation, sure, pico is set as invisible, but still good to do this
 			} else {
 				// Standard death animation.
 				createDeathSprites();
@@ -245,7 +246,6 @@ class PicoPlayerCharacter extends MultiSparrowCharacter {
 		clearCasings();
 
 		// Reset to standard death animation.
-		GameOverSubState.musicSuffix = '-pico';
 		GameOverSubState.blueBallSuffix = '-pico';
 
 		PauseSubState.musicSuffix = '-pico';
@@ -261,6 +261,8 @@ class PicoPlayerCharacter extends MultiSparrowCharacter {
 			deathSpriteRetry.animation.play('idle');
 			deathSpriteRetry.visible = true;
 			GameOverSubState.instance.startDeathMusic(1.0, false);
+			// set the game over music to the default to make it loop properly
+			GameOverSubState.musicSuffix = '-pico';
 			// force the deathloop to play in here, since we are starting the music early it
 			// doesn't check this in gameover substate !
 			// also no animation suffix 🤔