Netflix’s new German drama offering, Dark, hit the streaming network on December 1, 2017 and in addition to the unsettling imagery and ominous stories, it’s also packing a great soundtrack. The show is being called “the new Stranger Things,” however critics say that summary is much too simplistic. Regardless, it’s worth a watch — and a listen.
The Dark summary:
“The disappearance of two young children in the German town of Winden brings light to the fractured relationships, double lives, and the dark past of four families living there, revealing a mystery that spans across three generations.”
Dark sets the tone when it begins opening credits set to eerily titled “Goodbye” by Apparat and Soap & Skin. A steady drumming set underneath quiet tinkling chimes and soft whispering are all you need to fill a bit chilled, especially when paired with the Dark visuals.
Dark utilizes a discordant soundtrack by Australian compose Ben Frost to set the mood of the episodes, but also weaves in some 80’s and indie tracks for good measure. The 80’s and indie music tracks aren’t comforting, however, because they’re used in unsettling or dark scenes, adding to the discomfort you feel. When it’s all said and done, Dark on Netflix has a fantastic and mood-appropriate soundtrack even if it’s the antithesis to the feel-good nostalgia that Stranger Things offered with its background music.
Here’s what you’ll find on the Dark soundtrack:
Apparat w/ Soap & Skin – “Goodbye”
Dead or Alive – “You Spin Me Right Round (Like a Record)
Nena – “Irgendwie, Irgendwo, Irgendwann”
Mimi Page – “Nightfall”
Marathonmann – “Rücklauf”
Soap & Skin – “Me and the Devil”
Mire Key – “Industry”
Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Julian Wachner – “Anthracite Fields: IV. Flowers”
Sol Seppy – “Enter One”
Fever Ray – “Keep the Streets Empty for Me”
Tears for Fears – “Shout”
Agnes Obel – “Familiar”
A Flock of Seagulls – “I Ran (So Far Away)”
Kreator – “Pleasure to Kill”
Roomful of Teeth – “Partita for 8 Voices, Courante”
ABC – “The Look of Love”
Detlev Lais – “Gisela”
Meredith Monk and Collin Walcott – “Cow Song”
Stomper – “Wishing Well”
Amy Shark – “Drive You Mad”
Lorde – “Perfect Places”
The Kooks – “Be Who You Are”
London Grammar – “Oh Woman Oh Man”
Vera Blue – “Settle”
The Smith Street Band – “Shine”
Oh Wonder – “Ultralife”
Gary Jules – “Mad World”
Lauren O’Connell – “House of the Rising Sun”
Teho Teardo and Blixa – “Bargeld”
Dan Deacon – “When I was Done Dying”
If this sounds up your alley, you can stream nearly every song on Spotify thanks to fanmade playlists.
Dark’s soundtrack score has yet to be released, but judging by the success of both Stranger Things soundtracks, it should be eventually. Frost worked on the 2011 film Sleeping Beauty and the series Fortitude. With Dark, his music is now more visible to American audiences who are eagerly binging through every Dark episode.