Netflix’s Stranger Things has the makings of a great sci-fi series: sleepy town where unexplained things always seem to happen? Check. A mysterious child-abducting monster terrorizing the town? Check. Awkward yet endearing characters? Yep. Awesome soundtrack? Double check.

The show’s set in 1983, so musical scorers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, who are both members of the Austin band S U R V I V E, featured some of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s greats. They also penned the creeptastic opening theme, which they will perform live for the first time at the Unsound Festival in Krakow, Poland in October.

As we wait, fingers drumming on the desk, for any updates about the next season, Spotify put together a Season 1 playlist. It’s a who’s who of seminal bands and hitmakers of that nostalgic time, so for those born in the aughts, you’re in for a cool treat!

The Clash

IMAGE CREDIT: Facebook/The Clash

Band bio tidbit:

The Clash is the definitive English band that set the bar high for punk rock acts of today. Singing about political injustice, police brutality and racial equality in their songs like Rock the Casbah, London Calling and White Riot, The Clash had a radical approach to making music. Undeterred by losing their music cred after signing a deal with CBS Records, they made their best albums under the British record label.

Strange trivia:

During The Clash’s White Riot Tour set in London, the audience became so aggressive and rowdy, they ripped the seats off the floor.

Featured song:

Should I Stay or Should I Go

Jefferson Airplane

Image URL: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/White_rabbit.JPG

Band bio tidbit:

Sextet psychedelic rockers Jefferson Airplane were a mainstay at big music festivals in the ’60s. This San Francisco band had a string of hits like Somebody to Love and White Rabbit of which both earned rankings on Rolling Stone’s list of 500 Greatest Hits of All Time, but internal power struggles divided their direction and music. After seven years, the band broke up, with some members reforming under different names like Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship and KBC Band.

Strange trivia:

“Jefferson Airplane” is the slang for a roll of paper used to hold a marijuana joint that’s too short to hold properly. The band denied rumors their name came from the term, saying it was one of their friends who came up with the silly name.

Featured songs:

She has Funny Cars and White Rabbit

Toto

IMAGE CREDIT: Facebook/Toto

Band bio tidbit:

American rock band Toto was an instant success when they formed in the late ’70s and made their self-titled debut album. By 1982, they were Grammy winners, nabbing six big awards for their fourth album, Toto IV, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for Rosanna.

Strange trivia:

The band got their name from the Latin phrase “in toto,” which means “all- encompassing” in English.

Featured song:

Africa

The Bangles

IMAGE CREDIT: Facebook/The Bangles

Band bio tidbit:

Eighties radio airwaves would not be the same without The Bangles. This all-female band released hit after hit during their heyday. Walk Like an Egyptian was the number one record in 1987 while Eternal Flame was at the top of the charts in 1989. The Bangles were so huge, they were featured on the’80s cult classic movie The Goonies.

Strange trivia:

Vocalist Susanna Hoffs recorded Eternal Flame in the buff after producer Davitt Sigerson convinced her to follow Olivia Newton-John, who was believed to give amazing performances while singing naked as she recorded a song.

Featured song:

Hazy Shade of Winter

Modern English

IMAGE CREDIT: Facebook/Modern English

Band bio tidbit:

This new wave band from Essex, England refused to be associated with pop music at first. But after they broke into mainstream music with hits like Hands Across the Sea, Ink and Paper and I Melt With You, they didn’t mind the limelight. Modern English is still active today, touring the U.S.to promote their Mesh & Lace album.

Strange trivia:

I Melt With You ranked number 7 on the Billboard charts and on VH1’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the ’80s.

Featured song:

I Melt With You

Joy Division

IMAGE CREDIT: Facebook/Joy Division

Band bio tidbit:

Despite the band’s melancholic musical themes, critics hailed Joy Division’s sound as a poetic breath of fresh air from the angst-driven rock hits that dominated the airwaves. Joy won music critics’ praises after releasing the exquisite Unknown Pleasures album, gaining more fans with the release of their second album Closer. By the time they became mainstream, lead singer Ian Curtis was spiraling into deep depression. Eight months after the band came out with their biggest hit Love Will Tear Us Apart, Curtis hanged himself.

Strange trivia:

While performing, Curtis would sometimes do his signature move, the “dead fly” dance, where he flung his arms around in an awkward semicircular motion. People close to him believed it was actually an effect of his epileptic fits.

Featured song:

Atmosphere

Corey Hart

IMAGE CREDIT: Facebook/Corey Hart

Artist bio tidbit:

Grammy nominee for Best New Artist in 1984, Corey Hart was a sensation when he released his first album First Offense. The Canadian singer-songwriter boasts nine U.S. Billboard Top 40 singles, 30 Canadian Top 40 hits and has sold over 16 million records worldwide.

Strange trivia:

Corey and some music producers wore sunglasses while working in a studio to prevent the cold air blowing directly at their face from drying their eyes. The singer was inspired by the moment and started to sing the random lyrics, “I wear my sunglasses at night.”

Featured song:

Sunglasses at Night

Dawn featuring Tony Orlando

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tony_Orlando_and_Dawn_1974.JPG

Band bio tidbit:

Singer Tony Orlando didn’t gain much success as a soloist so when the opportunity came to record and perform with backup singers, he formed Dawn. This American band was behind several ’70s hits like Candida, Knock Three Times and He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You).

Strange trivia:

Tie a Yellow Ribbon ’Round the Ole Oak Tree, which was written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown, was first offered to Ringo Starr but the Beatles drummer’s management at Apple Records thought it was “ridiculous” and passed it on.

Featured song:

Tie a Yellow Ribbon ’Round the Ole Oak Tree

The Smiths

IMAGE CREDIT: Facebook/The Smiths

Band bio tidbit:

According to a 2002 poll by NME, The Smiths was the “most influential artist ever.” True enough, a lot of critically acclaimed bands like Blur, Radiohead and Arcade Fire cite The Smiths as one of their musical inspirations.

Strange trivia:

Morrissey hates his first name, Steven, so much that he insists on being called by his surname.

Featured song:

There is a Light That Never Goes Out

David Bowie

IMAGE CREDIT: Facebook/David

Artist bio tidbit:

This English singer-songwriter was a music maverick on the studio, creating sound styles way beyond the music of his time, and on stage, where he gave an all-out performance complete with metallic makeup, asymmetrical leotards and outrageous platform boots. David is one of the coolest musical oddities this side of the universe.

Strange trivia:

Bowie’s different-colored eyes, the left is blue while the right is black, were a result of a fight with a boy when he was young. His schoolmate socked him in the eye, scratching the surface of Bowie’s left eyeball and leaving the iris permanently dilated, a condition known as anisocoria.

Featured song:

Heroes