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PREMIERE: ‘Sauna Test’ from the Awesome ‘Stranger Things 3’ Score

We all love Stranger Things and are pumped for it to return July 4, right? Well, how about an exclusive preview from Stranger Things 3 – Original Score from the Netflix Original Series, which releases digitally on June 28? After all, we love the music, too.

Today, Vehlinggo premieres “Sauna Test,” a short but massive cue that highlights the depth and breadth of Kyle Dixon’s and Michael Stein’s dynamic score. It’s a colorful crescendo that travels to maximal sonic heights. You’ll replay it dozens of times as you await the show’s return to Netflix.

Combine “Sauna Test” with “Starcourt” and “The Ceiling Is Beautiful,” which are both already out in the ether, and you have a very good reason to be excited for the score’s release (and for the season premiere).

About Stranger Things 3—Original Score from the Netflix Original Series

The two-time Grammy-nominated and Emmy-winning composers Dixon and Stein (AKA one-half of Holodeck’s S U R V I V E) have scored all of the 1980s-set show’s seasons since its 2016 debut. Their best-selling scores are a key component of The Duffer Brothers’ show’s narrative and popularity, and have been a hit among vinyl collectors. Lakeshore Records and Invada Records, as they did with seasons 1 and 2, are handling the release of season 3’s score. They have made it available for digital pre-order today. The CD and vinyl versions of Stranger Things 3—Original Score from the Netflix Original Series are coming soon.

Kyle and Michael (Credit Jake Cohen)2
Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein. Photo credit: Jake Cohen.

According to a press release: In Season 3 evil has not ended, it has evolved and the duo has evolved with it as they continue to explore new sonic territory and instrumentation, such as the pop sensibilities and melancholic undertones of ’50s doo-wop, that go beyond the ’80s and ’90s R&B inflections of past seasons. They also return to familiar themes that are elevated by bold stylized reworkings that reflect the growth of the characters and intensity of the new storyline.

“With the Season 3 soundtrack, we’ve made an album that doesn’t feel like a ‘score’ necessarily, but one that feels more like a stand-alone record than a collection of brief cues,” Dixon and Stein said in the release. “We’ve incorporated the main narrative elements of the series and stayed true to the original sound, while at the same time expanding on our musical palette—we often pushed it to the limit. We’ve really made an effort to curate this album to showcase the moments we think are really special.”

stranger things season 3 soundtrack

Stranger Things 3—Original Score from the Netflix Original Series Track List

  1. Boys and Girls
  2. I Like Presents Too
  3. Starcourt
  4. Blank Makes You Crazy
  5. I Need You to Trust Me
  6. You’re a Fighter
  7. The Ceiling Is Beautiful
  8. The First I love You
  9. Rats
  10. What Did You Do To Him?
  11. Find the Source
  12. The Silver Cat Feeds
  13. Heather’s
  14. William
  15. Destroying the Castle
  16. In the Void
  17. Tammy
  18. Mirkwood
  19. Portal Drill
  20. Happy Screams
  21. Ruins
  22. It’s Just Ice
  23. The Door Is Opening
  24. Planck’s Constant
  25. She’s Gone Home
  26. Seven Feet
  27. The Week Is Long
  28. Sauna Test
  29. Six Facts
  30. The Trees Are Moving
  31. On Their Tracks
  32. Not Chinese Food
  33. Blueprints
  34. Land Deeds
  35. Not Kids Anymore
  36. Code Red
  37. Feel Safe
  38. He’s Here
  39. Scoops Troop
  40. We Don’t Understand Each Other
  41. Aftermath

What Happens in Stranger Things Season 3?

According to the release: It’s 1985 in Hawkins, Indiana, and summer’s heating up. School’s out, there’s a brand new mall in town, and the Hawkins crew are on the cusp of adulthood. Romance blossoms and complicates the group’s dynamic, and they’ll have to figure out how to grow up without growing apart. Meanwhile, danger looms. When the town’s threatened by enemies old and new, Eleven and her friends are reminded that evil never ends; it evolves. Now they’ll have to band together to survive, and remember that friendship is always stronger than fear.


Catch the Stranger Things season 3 soundtrack on this Friday, June 28. Watch the new season on Netflix, beginning on July 4, but binge the first two seasons in the meantime.

Dixon and Stein will be performing as part of Nile Rodger’s Meltdown at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Aug. 7. Follow that link for tickets. Here’s more information on the event.

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