Covering a classic song is tricky business, as straddling the line between remaining respectfully faithful while providing a modern take that doesn’t waste everyone’s time can be as particularly daunting as crafting that dreaded sophomore album. Swerve seem to balance both sides fairly well with their rendition of The Stone Roses’ forever unfuckwithable English anthem “I Wanna Be Adored,” which hit the streams last week (May 22).
From the ascending bassline to the song’s tumbling crescendos, it’s tough to put a unique spin on the Manchester icons’ mountainous 1991 stunner, but the Los Angeles noise slingers’ break through expectations with a mindful take. The intentional unease at the jump, the moody air that hangs overhead just before cruising altitude, and the sudden revved-up jolt of noise midway through acts as much of a self-aware declaration as inspired replication.
If anything, this cover feels more like a séance to being the ghosts of England’s pre-Britpop era back firmly in our playlists where it belongs. And Swerve are just the band to pull off this feat.
“The Stone Roses made one of my favorite records (I’ve actually purposefully never listened to Second Coming) and ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ is their most iconic track,” says Greg Mahdesian of Swerve. “It’s also a genuinely weird song that has minimalist lyrics and psychedelic/rave/rock production, and I’ve never heard a cover of it before. We’ve done plenty of covers live, from the Replacements to Black Sabbath, but really wanted to record one and take it in a new direction. When you’re writing your own song you can get locked into a style or idea of what your music sounds like. When the song is already written for you, all the creative energy can be put into the arrangement, and we went left-field with this one.”
Mahdesian adds: “Ryan used a baritone guitar, we got inspired by Desert Sessions and Queens of the Stone Age, and I sang the vocals in the dark — why not, ya know? Brandon Duncan, who plays bass and mixes our records, was given free rein and turned in a really creative mix. This is already opening up our sound and approach for the next batch of songs we’re working on.”
Swerve’s “I Wanna Be Adored” will be included on their forthcoming EP, The Darkroom, set for release June 21. Dive in loudly below.