NORMAL (THE) – T.V.O.D./ Warm Leatherette – 7″ – MUTE001

A pivotal, early release of electronic new wave, this single oddly gained more notoriety for its B-side, “Warm Leatherette.” Amidst jolting zaps, pops, and blipping skips, Daniel Miller robotically intones about the pleasures of car crash as foreplay: “A tear of petrol is in your eye/The hand brake penetrates your thigh/Quick — let’s make love/Before you die.” The track sounds like a darkly cartoonish version of a malfunctioning dot matrix printer: clinically pristine, minimal, and sinister.

Andy Kellman / AllMusic