Fresh off her September wedding to Benny Blanco, Selena Gomez dropped a gift for longtime fans.
Her new single “In The Dark” and its accompanying music video premiered October 23 alongside Nobody Wants This Season 2 on Netflix.
And honestly? The nostalgia hit different.
The pop star herself called it “a little nostalgia droplet” on Instagram.
She explicitly referenced her 2015 Revival album, and she wasn’t kidding.
From the glossy aesthetics to the moody lighting, this feels like a love letter to that era.
The one that gave us “Hands to Myself” and turned Gomez into a full-blown pop force.
A Quick Turnaround That Still Delivers
Director Luke Orlando pulled off something impressive here.
He filmed the entire video in under eight hours. Wild, right?
You’d never guess from watching it.
The video features Gomez walking through large, open spaces in an all-black outfit.
It gives us those intimate, stripped-down moments that made Revival so compelling in the first place.
The track itself channels serious ’80s luxe energy, synthy, danceable, and emotional all at once.
Gomez sings about unconditional love with lyrics like “I’ll be there when you lose yourself / To remind you of who you are”.
This hits especially hard considering she just married her longtime collaborator.
Nobody Wants This Gets the Soundtrack It Deserves
The timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Season 2 of the Kristen Bell and Adam Brody rom-com dropped the same day at 3 AM ET on Netflix.
The soundtrack features 19 songs from major artists including Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton, and Finneas.
But let’s be real, Gomez’s contribution is the one everyone’s talking about.
The show’s already a phenomenon, and adding a new Selena track? Chef’s kiss.
It’s giving main character energy in the best way possible.
It perfectly fits the show’s LA-set love story vibes.
Post-Wedding Glow Is Real
Gomez and Blanco tied the knot September 27 in an intimate three-day celebration in Montecito, California.
Taylor Swift, Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Paris Hilton were among the 170-plus guests.
The weekend included speeches from close friends including Swift and Ed Sheeran, plus amenities like a sushi bar, oyster bar, and BBQ with a 26-piece band.
That’s proper California wedding goals right there.
Now she’s back to work, looking absolutely stunning in the video while singing about supporting someone through their darkest moments.
The lyrics “And I’ll be there when you lose yourself / To remind you of who you are” feel especially meaningful given her openness about mental health struggles.
Speaking of which, Gomez’s third annual Rare Impact Fund Benefit is scheduled for October 29 in Los Angeles.
It’s hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and features a performance by The Marías.
The event marks five years since she founded the Rare Impact Fund, which has raised over $20 million for youth mental health organizations.
Between new music, her recent marriage, and continuing her mental health advocacy work, Gomez is having quite the moment.
Revival Redux: Why It Works
Here’s the thing about “In The Dark”, it’s not trying to reinvent Selena.
Gomez teased the video on Instagram Stories, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses and writing “Thought it be fun to add a little Revival to it”.
She knows exactly what fans want, and she delivered.
The aesthetic callbacks are everywhere.
The black leotard moment on a white chaise? Pure Revival.
The moody shots with smoke and glossy leather? Same energy as “Hands to Myself.”
Director Luke Orlando captures Gomez in large, open spaces, creating that same intimate-yet-cinematic feel that defined her 2015 era.
But this isn’t just nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake.
This marks Gomez’s first solo release since she and Blanco dropped their collaborative album “I Said I Love You First” back in March.
She’s been relatively quiet on the music front this year, focusing on Only Murders in the Building and her wedding planning.
So this feels like a proper return, casual but intentional.
What’s Next for the Newlywed
Between shooting Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building, running Rare Beauty, and now dropping new music, Gomez isn’t slowing down post-wedding.
And fans are here for it.
The “In The Dark” video already has millions obsessing over every frame.
They’re dissecting the Revival references and speculating about whether more new music is coming.
Gomez previously worked with “Same Old Love” producer Cashmere Cat on this track, bringing back another key collaborator from that golden Revival era.
It’s smart, she’s not just mining nostalgia visually, she’s bringing back the actual people who helped create those sounds in the first place.
The video dropped at the perfect cultural moment too.
We’re in full nostalgia mode right now, look at Taylor Swift’s re-recordings, Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine callbacks.
Even Kylie Jenner’s surprising music debut had everyone mining their past eras for content.
But Gomez does it with intention.
She’s not just recreating old looks; she’s showing growth while honoring where she came from.
Plus, the connection to Nobody Wants This adds another layer.
The show’s all about unlikely love stories working against the odds, which mirrors Gomez’s own journey with Blanco.
They were friends and collaborators for years before becoming a couple.
Art imitating life imitating art.
The LA Connection
As someone who’s watched Gomez’s career unfold across this city for years, there’s something especially fitting about this moment.
She’s a true Angeleno now, splitting time between Only Murders shoots, Rare Beauty events, and apparently filming entire music videos in under a workday.
That’s the kind of hustle this town runs on.
The video itself has that distinctly LA quality, moody, intimate, with just enough gloss to feel aspirational.
It’s the same vibe that makes Nobody Wants This work so well.
Both capture something essential about love and life in this city, even when things get complicated.
Will there be more Revival-era callbacks? A full album? Who knows.
But for now, “In The Dark” is giving fans exactly what they didn’t know they needed, proof that Gomez can channel her past while moving confidently into her future.
And she did it all in under eight hours of filming.
That’s the kind of efficiency we love to see.
