On the off chance that Vecna truly does level Hawkins, or if the Hadron Collider manages to shift our universe - whichever comes first - Stranger Things has teamed up with Spotify to create personalized Upside Down Playlists for their fans! After the insane reaction to Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", and the genius way the Duffer Brothers used the track to weave Season 4 Volume 1's storyline between episodes, fans deserve their own anti-Vecna anthem. In a Twitter post, Stranger Things has revealed its collaboration with Spotify introducing fans to personalized curated playlists that could indeed save them from Vecna; hint: "the first Song on the list = your savior song"
When Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) was mere inches from Vecna's ugly maw, all fans could think was, 'What an irresistible and heart-wrenching jam!' Ever since, we may or may not have been daydreaming about being hunted down by the Freddy Krueger fanboy, worrying sick over whether our family and friends would choose the right track, that one song that resonates and beats in time with your heart. Now, fans can rest easy because Stranger Things and Spotify are basically your Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). When you hit the link on Stranger Things' Twitter post Spotify generates a personalized Upside Down Playlist with 50 tracks.
If you're new here, in the latest season of Stranger Things, Netflix's '80s grab bag of nostalgia, Dungeon Masters Matt and Ross Duffer have split The Party up across the US between California, Utah, Nevada, Indiana, and the Upside Down, oh, and Russia. Everyone has branched off into side quests, with the main quest now being to defeat Vecna and save Hawkins from getting Barbed (too soon?) in the Upside Down. After defeating the Mind Flayer in Season 3, a new monster has emerged.
Dubbed Vecna, this evil entity stalks his prey, choosing those with painful vulnerabilities like difficult home lives. Do you remember the part in The Neverending Story when Atreyu ripped our hearts out screaming for Artax not to give in to the Swamp of Sadness? Vecna is the Swamp of Sadness. Max, whose parents are divorced and whose abusive brother's heart was literally ripped out of his chest right in front of her, is Vecna's next target. Fortunately, Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) did some sleuthing and discovered that music, particularly a song special to the person, can sever the trance Vecna puts his victims in.
Cue Episode 4, when fans watched in horror as Max's body rose into the air, hovering over the grave of her brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), arms and legs dangling, eyes rolled back in her head. In the nick of time, Dustin managed to run Max's Walkman over and fit the headphones over her ears. Meanwhile, in the Upside Down, Max is fighting for her life as Vecna threatens to Aliens her to the wall of his Mind Lair. Just when we think all is lost, that pop-synth beat starts up and Kate Bush reminds Max that she has thunder in her heart. While audiences held their breath, Max ripped Vecna's nasty appendage from around her neck and sprinted for the window to Hawkins that the music opened for her.
Check out the Stranger Things post below to generate your own Upside Down Playlist and share your "savior song" so when the time comes your friends won't pick something lame and get you killed.