Which duo composed the electronic theme music for "Stranger Things"?

Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein composed the electronic theme music for "Stranger Things." The pair are members of the Austin-based electronic band Survive, whose synth-heavy sound helped define the show's eerie 1980s atmosphere.

The Duffer Brothers first encountered Survive's music through the 2014 film "The Guest." After "Stranger Things" was approved, they contacted Dixon and Stein, who supplied earlier material and began creating new music for the series. Their score combines analog-style synthesizers, repeating arpeggios, dark drones, and melodic motifs for characters and locations.

The famous opening theme began as an older Stein composition that the Duffers found in a large pool of demo material. Dixon and Stein reworked it for the title sequence, using instruments including the Prophet V, Roland SH-2, and Mellotron. Their work is distinct from the show's licensed period songs, such as The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go."