London Grammar is easily one of my favorite new acts this year.
Their debut album — If You Wait, which was released in September — is a gorgeous listen, like a cross between Florence + The Machine and the sparse production of The XX. (Dance fans might also recognize London Grammar from their collaboration on Disclosure‘s “Help Me Lose My Mind,” one of the standouts on Settle.)
This December, the UK trio will release their latest single — a cover of Kavinsky‘s “Nightcall (feat. Lovefoxxx)”.
You might already know the synth-pop slow burner from the immensely popular 2011 Drive soundtrack. If you don’t, it sounds like this:
The London Grammar version glides across a chilly piano melody and sparse guitar, wringing out a majority of the glossy ’80’s electronic production from the Kavinsky original and focusing instead on building out the melodies of the song with lead songstress Hannah Reid‘s almighty chops. In fact, it isn’t until the last minute does the band manage to squeeze in a beat of any kind. The rework completely reinvents the feel of the song, converting the slick robotic original into a haunting, humanized production. So, so beautiful.
The cover will be released on December 8. Listen below.
The ‘Nightcall EP’ will be released on December 8. (iTunes)
