The Strokes co-founder Albert Hammond Jr. and lead guitarist of the pioneering indie band came close to appearing on hit Netflix series Stranger Things.

Hammond Jr., whose solo career is flourishing, revealed that he auditioned for a role in the show and also got a callback for another round of auditions: “It gave me a new way to look at it, when I came back to doing music,“ he said.

“I was freer. I became the person I always wanted to be on stage.”

Elsewhere, he recently shared the official video for the single ‘Set To Attack’ taken from his new album Francis Trouble. Hammond explained how he shot the video in Athens, Ohio, and was directed by Carley Solether and is a coming of age tale that follows two teens embarking on a new romance.

Francis Trouble explores a deeply personal topic – the stillborn death of his twin brother, Francis, and the lingering effects that event has had in his life and music. In November of 1979, Hammond Jr’s mother, Claudia, miscarried. Although they rushed to the hospital, Claudia and Albert Hammond Sr. were told that the baby was far too premature to live. Albert continued to grow inside of his mother undetected until she was nearly six months pregnant.