One of the more riveting visual treats of 2019 has been Too Old To Die Young, the massive 10-part American crime drama series from the masterful minds of Nicolas Winding Refn and Ed Brubaker. Refn, of course, is the visionary director behind incendiary 2011 cult hit Drive, the Ryan Gosling film that has lived on nearly a decade later in bright colors and unwavering obsession due, in part, to its wildly influential electronic-pop and synth-wave soundtrack.
Too Old To Die Young, like Drive, is scored by Cliff Martinez, adding a stirring posture to its brilliant visuals, often awash in pinks and blues. But Refn knows how to utilize pop music for dramatic depth, and this new playlist crafted by Desire’s Megan Louise — she of the voice of one of Drive’s most iconic moments, singer of “Under Your Spell” — only enhances the series’ effects.
The 58-track, nearly three-and-a-half-hour playlist is billed as “Music from & inspired by the films of Nicolas Winding Refn,” and it’s absolutely essential. There’s plenty of Johnny Jewel to be found, as well as the producer, musician, and songwriter’s various Italians Do It Better projects (Chromatics, Glass Candy, Symmetry, the aforementioned Desire), as well as some classics (New Order, Pet Shop Boys), and some deeper cuts from the Refn catalogue that you’ve likely heard in his films but were previously unable to properly identify.
It’s a whopper of a playlist, but one perfect for the long summer nights ahead. Get into it below, and check out our photo gallery of Desire’s May set at Royale, when they performed live with Chromatics and In Mirrors.