The exquisite Stranger Things 3 score by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein is getting quite the cassette treatment from Lakeshore Records. Check out the artwork below in this exclusive reveal.
You may not be able to reach the Stranger Things crew directly with this walkie-talkie, but Dixon’s and Stein’s well-crafted music will communicate the hopes, dreams, and alienations of Hawkins, Indiana, with you. The tape will be in record stores, along with places like Amazon, on Nov. 1. No need to wait, though. You can pre-order it here.
The artwork for the Stranger Things 3 cassette tape is designed by Lakeshore Records art director and Renaissance man, John Bergin. He modeled it after the walkie-talkie used by Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) to communicate with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and others in their friend group.
All of the songs on the digital version of Stranger Things 3 are on this tape. (Vinyl and CD versions are also available — probably best to own this collection on all media.)
More about the Stranger Things 3 Score
Since the third season of The Duffer Brothers’ immensely popular Netflix series premiered in July, the Dixon and Stein score has been getting rave reviews for evolving along with the characters and the show in general. At that time, here’s what the S U R V I V E members and Grammy nominees said about their work:
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. 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.
Roger that.
They were building off a season with much higher stakes than even the disturbingly engaging tales provided in the first two seasons. Here’s the Season 3 summary:
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.
I, for one, look forward to popping this tape into my circa-1980s Sony Walkman and diving into the score the way so many people would have back in that era. And I’ll have something really cool to hold in my hands while I do it.
Over and out.
Since Stranger Things debuted in 2016, Dixon and Stein have tackled a variety of projects that have allowed them to expand on the synth-driven compositions of that show: National Geographic’s Valley of the Boom, Hulu’s Butterfly, and HBO’s Native Son.
Vehlinggo readers are no strangers to Lakeshore Records, which has released soundtracks for Drive, Mr. Robot, The Wind, Halt and Catch Fire, Annihilation, Mandy, Million Dollar Baby, Lady Bird, Hotel Artemis, Destroyer, NIGHTFLYERS, and so many others. The label has also released original fare, including the Fangoria and The Rise of the Synths compilations, and albums by artists such as College, Mega Drive, and Dreddd.
