Video: T.O.L.D., ‘Master of the Species’

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“Learn to be alone,” 25-year-old Dan Smith sings in “Master of Species,” his latest single as the existential pop guru T.O.L.D.. Or, as the video for the stunning songs suggests, clone yourself and be comfortable with all versions. In director Garrett Smith’s video, the L.A.-based Englishman and “friends” wander through various deserted Southern California locales.

The song is from T.O.L.D.’s forthcoming album “It’s Not About the Witches,” due June 17 on IAMSOUND Records. It’s “the final ‘Hoo Rah!’ of the album,” Smith told Noisey, where the video premiered. “I channeled David Bowie for this one — it came to me pretty much fully formed. Probably the most ambitious track of the album. You’re sitting on your throne looking out at your kingdom, now you have conquered your inner world. Now you must learn to be alone.” Added Curtis: “We talked about the meaning of his song and how he sees being human as a species-privileged. But how to wake people up to the special-ness of being alive and self-aware? People live according to the rule of man, and knowledge is god. During our chat, we concluded that we would go against that idea and cut through self-judging worldly wisdom and live in the experience of laughter and warmth.”

||| Watch: The video for “Master of Species”

||| Previously: “Master of the Species,” “There’s No Truth,” “Return Forever”