We’re pretty fond of Madonna’s ’80s legacy around these parts, and even more smitten with her 1984 hit “Dress You Up,” which this writer often has proclaimed his favorite Madge song of all time. Some of that has to do with the Like A Virgin track’s unmitigated sugar-pop brilliance, but it’s also in part related to our long-gone obsession with Gap ads of the ’90s.
One campaign from the retailer featured “Dress You Up”, as sung in part by a then-unknown Alex Greenwald, who’d go on to find fame in Phantom Power, in addition to catchy-ass sing-alongs of “Mellow Yellow” and “Just Can’t Get Enough.” But it was that damn Madonna take that had us buying so many fucking fleece vests that one year.
Anyway, we thought that was the best “Dress You Up” cover ever, but this new cut from Montreal rock band Heat is pretty aces as well. The track premiered yesterday on the Wild Magazine, and you can fire it up as a weekend kickstarter via Kitsuné’s Soundcloud page.
“We were asked by our label to do a cover and chose to go a less obvious route by doing an old pop song from the 80s,” frontman Susil Sharma tells the Wild. “Growing up, my older sisters blasted Madonna all the time and I have always loved her early singles, particularly ‘Dress You Up.’ Hopefully we did it justice while giving it our own spin.”
Sharma’s got a nice Lou Reed thing going on in the vocals, and the cool disaffection in the singing is a nice contrast to the tune’s upbeat nature. He delivers with the ease of flicking a cigarette, and that’s pretty Madonna-in-the-’80s right there.
Heat’s Rooms EP is out now via Kitsuné, and they’re abut to hit the UK for a string of shows. Peep the dates below.
HEAT UK TOUR
07/05/15 – Sebright Arms, LONDON, UK
10/05/15 – Belgrave, LEEDS, UK *
11/05/15 – Start The Bus, BRISTOL, UK *
12/05/15 – Bodega, NOTTINGHAM, UK *
13/05/15 – Bungalows and Bears, SHEFFIELD, UK *
16/05/15 – NME showcase, The Great Escape, BRIGHTON, UK
16/05/15 – Komedia, The Great Escape Festival, BRIGHTON, UK
17/05/15 – London Calling Festival, AMSTERDAM, NL
18/05/15 – Pop Up, PARIS, FR
* w/ Spring King
Never forget: