Released in 2003, "Price Of Love" is the debut synth-pop single by the British electronic duo Client, marking the very first release (cdth001) on the Toast Hawaii record label. The boutique label was founded by Depeche Mode's Andrew Fletcher, who signed and championed the band during their early era of uniform-clad anonymity. Distributed via Mute Records, the single introduced Client's signature blend of stark, retro '80s electronics and melancholic melodies. It features the B-sides "Client" and "Leipzig", making it a highly collectible piece of electronic music history for fans of the label and the genre.
"Price Of Love" is a masterclass in austere electronic minimalism, perfectly capturing the icy, post-punk aesthetic that defined the early 2000s electroclash movement. Produced with a deliberate nod to early Mute Records acts, the track thrives on its stark drum programming, pulsing synth basslines, and an overarching sense of retro-futuristic melancholy. Sarah Blackwood’s detached, deadpan vocal delivery serves as the ideal counterpoint to the mechanistic backing track, elevating a song about emotional vulnerability into an anthem of cool indifference. The inclusion of the B-sides "Client" and "Leipzig" makes the physical single a cohesive, bleakly beautiful introduction to the band’s signature dystopian chic.
As the inaugural release for Andrew Fletcher’s Toast Hawaii imprint, the single carries a weight of expectation that it effortlessly meets. Rather than leaning on aggressive, over-produced club elements of its era, "Price Of Love" relies on space, restraint, and sharp melodic hooks that linger long after the track ends. It manages to feel both nostalgic for the 1981 synth-pop boom and entirely modern in its gritty, underground execution. For collectors and fans of electronic music history, it remains a vital, dark-pop artifact that perfectly crystallized Client's early identity.
Ripped to MP3
1. Price Of Love (3:52)
2. Client (3:12)
3. Leipzig (4:29)
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