T.O.L.D. (aka The Order of Life and Death) is the musical project of LA-based producer Dan Smith, who made a splash a year & a half ago with their debut track, “Lucifer’s Eyes,” and its parent EP. He is back with a new song, “Return Forever,” composed in collaboration with Jas of Simian Mobile Disco, and Smith calls it “a kind of Nietzschean dance song,” which, to my ears, translates to expanding on the tradition of the large-scale, hook-laden, populist electro-pop that bands like Depeche Mode helped pioneer with their moody ballads. It is undeniably epic and equally catchy, and further aided by an abstract video directed by Vlad Sepetov.
Sepetov says the concept was developed, along with Smith, thinking about flowers as a metaphor. “(I) thought it would be cool to juxtapose both nature & technology, as well as this concept of life & death. The chorus is so bright and beautiful I wanted to capitalize on that with blooming flowers, but as the song ends they’re obscured by the ultimate death of a TV, just plain static.” And if the video wasn’t enough of another facet to this diamond of a track for you to live with, here is the Prides remix of the song as well:
More T.O.L.D. is forthcoming, but hopefully this will keep you occupied for the time being!