OMD Explore Soulless Suburbia in ‘Metroland’ – Premiere

The British New Wave band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, better known as OMD, first found fame in the 1980s with their hit “Enola Gay” and are staging their comeback with their upcoming album, English Electric. Out April 9, the record was written, recorded and mixed by founding members Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys.

OMD’s 2011 Return Tour to the US Scene

Now the band has released the video for their first single, “Metroland.” The poppy synth track mixes a Daft Punk-esque driving bassline, echoing harmonies and soft vocals to eerie result, and the video depicts a sad, soulless picture of suburbia with rapidly changing animation. 

McCluskey says the bleak video also captures the spirit of English Electric, which was named after a British industrial manufacturing company. “The overarching feeling tends to be a sense of loss, of melancholia, that things haven’t turned out the way you wanted them to, whether it be with technology or personal relationships,” he tells Rolling Stone.

OMD will perform at Coachella on April 14th and 21st.