Stranger Things returns to Netflix this summer for its much-anticipated third season. With new settings, new roles for the characters and new mysteries, the new season is sure to pack a major punch. The series has spawned spin-off comics through Dark Horse, several books including full-length novels, and now an entire album by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson.
On Friday, Michaelson released the first single from her upcoming album, Stranger Songs, which is packed to the brim with Stranger Things Easter Eggs. The first single is called “Missing You” and the lyric video looks like it would be right at home in the show’s aesthetics, as does the official single artwork.
“I wanted to create something through a different lens,” Michaelson said in a statement. “There’s something about Stranger Things that’s really comforting. It reminds me of my childhood. It’s the best kind of escapism and I find myself seeking that now more than ever. I took inspiration from the show and the characters and all these ideas started to come to me. Every song on the record includes a reference from the show, some more specific than others, but all of the themes are universal – these are feelings everyone has.”
Listeners who aren’t familiar with Stranger Things will still find resonance in Michaelson’s new album, which invokes similar themes and beats to her extensive discography. In addition to this new album, which pulls inspiration from one of her pop culture obsessions, Michaelson is also writing the music for an upcoming Broadway musical adaptation of The Notebook (2004). These may seem like opposite ends of the pop culture spectrum, but if anyone can do justice to these vastly different properties, it’s Michaelson.
Check out the lyric video and artwork for “Missing You” below. Stranger Things returns to Netflix July 4; Michaelson will reportedly time the release of Stranger Songs with the new season of the show.
