It takes real balls to take a classic song like “God Only Knows” and really play with it. But that’s what Melbourne’s Beachwood have done with their cover, released simultaneously with another new track “Marbles,” and I’ve got to say, I’m a fan.
I must admit, I wasn’t instantly on board. I thought the band might have gone too far, but then those angelic vocals from Angeline Armstrong kicked in and it all made sense. Yes, it’s a little eerie and dark, but it’s also so fresh. And if you’re not going to bring something new to the table, why cover a song at all?
“God Only Knows is such a sweet, romantic sounding song – but when you dig deeper and pay attention to the lyrics, it’s quite bittersweet and dark – there’s a real desperation and longing in it,” Angeline, who makes music with her bandmate Jarrad Rogers, explained. “That same longing and bittersweet feeling exists in both of our new tracks: hidden beneath pulsating pop beats and big progressive sounds, there’s the raw voice of a desperate longing for a relationship that won’t spoil or break. I think that taps into something very personal for all of us, no matter how deeply buried.”
It’s unusual to release two singles simultaneously, but it’s a decision that made sense for Beachwood.
“It’s always nice to give people more,” Angeline said. “As artists we’re always so hungry to release our music faster than is sometimes possible – it feels really good to just let go and hand these two over to the world all at once. We wanted to do something a little different – there’s a big focus on releasing one single at a time these days, but we felt that there was a bit of a story here in releasing both together. We love re-imagining songs, especially ones as amazing as ‘God Only Knows.’”
If you love your music a little left of centre, you’re going to adore Beachwood.
Image used with permission from On the Map PR