Live Review: Extinct no longer, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs returns with ballad 'Leave A Light On'

Three months ago following a four year silence, TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS released 'Leave A Light On' on his birthday. The producer, known for his elaborate costumes and thumping electronic beats, stripped everything back for this independent release, leaning into lowkey electronica and dropping all pretenses by covering the single with a mirror selfie of himself eating a banana. Now in the lead up to his upcoming album, the track has been officially released, alongside the announcement of T.E.E.D's signing to Aus label, I OH YOU. 'Leave A Light On' is a promising look at a new era for the artist, exploring an emotive tenderness through pared back songwriting and weaving analogue and electronic instrumentation.

From the start, T.E.E.D's familiar shaky vocals are supported with rich melancholy piano chords, slowly adding layers of vocal harmony and a tame drum line. Out of nowhere the track completely shifts from quiet introspective indie into the strength of a ballad, with a dizzying wall of synth arpeggios and pads rising under the piano and percussion. The track feels like a hybrid of the electronic stylings of JAMES BLAKE and the euphoric hugeness of QUEEN, blending the energy of live drums and piano with swelling pads and twinkling synths.

The original release of the track marked a shift in the creative process for T.E.E.D, saying in the his Soundcloud post that he owed it to himself "to break out of this cycle of not releasing music. No sob story necessary, just trust making this album has been incredibly hard.” After a long period of insular songwriting and creating resulted in a glorious track like 'Leave A Light On', all of that hard work to create the rest of the album is bound to have paid off too.

PHOTO Supplied

WORDS BY HOLLY O’NEILL

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE

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LISTEN: TEED ‘YOUR LOVE’ (WAZE & ODYSSEY REMIX)

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