Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein are well-known for composing the memorable score for Stranger Things and for their roles in Holodeck flagship band S U R V I V E, but the duo have been busy crafting compelling music for a host of other projects. Among those is the score for TV series Butterfly on Hulu. Today, Vehlinggo premieres the majestic “A Long Way To Go” from the score, which Lakeshore and Invada release on March 22. (You can pre-order it now via iTunes.)
Butterfly — a three-part British drama created and written by Tony Marchant that premiered on ITV last October — is about the complex relationship between separated parents Vicky (Anna Friel) and Stephen (Emmett J. Scanlan), who are at odds over how to support their youngest child, Max (Callum Booth-Ford). From a young age Max has identified as a girl, but has sought to suppress these feelings in an attempt to earn Stephen’s approval. It’s a heartfelt and sensitive drama that requires just the right type of music.
The approach that Dixon and Stein take with their work on Butterfly underscores a shift for them: it sounds far different from their Stranger Things work. (Aaron’s Note: If anything, it’s more Cliff Martinez or Johnny Jewel than John Carpenter, but I’ll let them describe the shift.)
“We had just come off our first project that had established us as these retrosynth/’80s producers, and we wanted to do something that helped get us out of that box,” Dixon and Stein said in a press release. “Obviously there are still synths being used, and coincidentally some of them are from the ’80s, but hopefully this score won’t be received as such.”
“We had been keen to work on a drama for a while: specifically something that wasn’t science fiction at all,” they continued. “This is a very serious story that touches on a lot of very personal and unique issues for a large group of people who haven’t historically had much of a voice, and until recently have been largely left out of the media. We were drawn to this story not only because it is well-written and thoughtfully executed, but also because it deals with issues that many of our friends have faced or are still dealing with. To be able to help tell this story was a true honor for us.”
The Butterfly – Original Series Soundtrack will be released on March 22 digitally and on CD by Lakeshore Records and on vinyl by Invada Records. Pre-order the soundtrack right now. (If you still haven’t bought the Stranger Things Season 1 and 2 scores, Lakeshore and Invada have them on sale in digital and vinyl varieties.)
More Information on Dixon and Stein
Dixon and Stein are and have been involved in a number of projects. Recently, they scored Matthew Libatique’s short film A Different Beyond, which was shot using early models of the new Fujifilm X-T3 camera system. In addition, they have worked on two other projects released this year. First, National Geographic’s Valley of the Boom, a hybrid documentary-drama chronicling the early days of Silicon Valley. Secondly, Rashid Johnson’s adaptation of the Richard Wright classic Native Son, which debuted at Sundance and which subsequently sold to HBO. (Aaron’s Note: This book is a personal favorite of mine.)
The talented composing duo have earned the Primetime Emmy Award win for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music, two Grammy nominations for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, an ASCAP Composers’ Choice Award nomination for TV Composer(s) of the Year, and a World Soundtrack Award nomination for TV Composer(s) of the Year, for their work on Stranger Things.
The third season of that brilliant show premieres on July 4.
