Russian Doll is undoubtedly one of our favorite shows on Netflix when it aired, and the score by Joe Wong is a huge part of that. Deftly mixing beautiful, melancholy piano pieces with pulsating analogue beats and synthesizers, within the show, the score always felt like it was a character on screen. Removed from the show, it shines as an outstanding listen and one that, much like the time loops in the story, you can revisit time and time again, sounding fresh with every listen.
Mondo & Gardener Recordings are excited to bring you Russian Doll: Seasons 1 & 2 (Music From The Netflix Original Series) on vinyl for the first time. Composed by Joe Wong – who has worked on some of Netflix's biggest hits, including Master Of None and the To All, the Boys… franchise, and their critically lauded The Midnight Gospel -- the album consists of his dream-like original score with highlights from the breakout first season and the much loved second season. The album takes the listener through life, death, space, and time.
"In many ways, we think of 'Russian Doll' as a musical, with the score serving to bridge and guide us through the rollercoaster of Nadia's puzzle box adventure," notes Natasha Lyonne, the show's co-creator. "With the new season, we knew we wanted to use the investigative beats of the season one cues as a jumping-off point to an ever more dense and psychedelic landing. The soundscape also allows us time to sit with some of the higher concept moments to make them feel personal to the viewer's life experience."
"The score to Russian Doll is constructed much like the eponymous nesting doll," notes Wong. "I developed a series of leitmotifs which can function alone or nested inside one another, resulting in fugue-like cues—this season, our characters time-travel to historical Hungary and 1980s New York. When deciding on the musical palette for this season, I imagined the sound of a Lisztian figure transported a hundred years into the future. This episode--the season finale--contains an intermingling of all of the main themes from both seasons, imagined through this sonic lens."
Of her collaboration with Wong, Lyonne adds, "It's always such a joy to get to watch Joe work -- he's like a one-man Jughead band. My only hope is that someday I will see him work with a full orchestra as we bring our next joint project to life."
