Back in the summer we hyped Hallelujah The Hills’ ace cover of a Marnie Stern tune, which was featured in the early stages of Kill Rock Stars’ rolling covers compilation to mark the iconic label’s 30th anniversary. A few months in, and the Stars Rock Kill (Rock Stars) comp is still cranking out covers, with the last three, as if press time, coming from Brooklyn psych-pop band Habibi.
Marking Habibi’s signing to Kill Rock Stars, the trio of tunes have been bundled into a new EP called Nice Try, and the songs should be well on display when the band — who take their name from the Arabic word for “my love” — play Brighton Music Hall on October 25.
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Featured on Habibi’s Nice Try EP are renditions of classics among the Kill Rock Stars orbit from Kleenex/LiLiPUT (“Nice”), Quix*o*tic (“The Breeze”), and Delta 5 (“Try”). The Delta 5 cover was made all the more timely with the recent passing of the pioneering group’s singer and guitarist, Julz Sale.
“Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Julz Sale, an unrivaled force in the macrocosm of punk music,” shares Habibi’s Rahill Jamalifard, via Kill Rock Stars. “The combination of driving baselines and Sale’s cool yet punching delivery really set Delta 5 apart from other bands of that era. When we set out to record our cover of ‘Try’ six months ago, this all powerfully echoed back to me. I remember driving to the studio listening to the original song, hearing her hit the notes with an effortless power, playful but with conviction, she was truly one of one. Her legacy and contribution to punk will live on and continue to inspire, just as she inspired us.”
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Listen in below.