Arlo Parks, Fontaines D.C., BENEE and the next generation of alternative artists feature on new Deezer ‘InVersions’ album
2020’s new generation of Indie and Alternative artists reimagine iconic tracks in their own style
Deezer has today announced details of InVersions: a brand new album featuring ten breakout names in independent music from around the world, re-imagining iconic hits in their own, unique style. The compilation is available exclusively from today on the global music streaming service, via this link.
InVersions is a culture-colliding compilation in which some of the most exciting alternative artists in the world cross genre, style and boundaries in ways you’ve never heard before. Rising star Arlo Parks performs her first ever song in French, covering Angèle’s ‘Ta Reine’ in starkly beautiful fashion. Irish breakout band Fontaines D.C also give an unexpectedly gritty rework to their deconstruction of ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ by The Beach Boys.
Elsewhere, InVersions spotlights the next wave of global indie breakthroughs, with New Zealand’s BENEE’s captivating cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’, bedroom pop king Gus Dapperton’s spin on Bruce Springsteen’s 80s classic ‘I’m On Fire’, and Colombian techno-pop producer Ela Minus re-imagining Björk’s ‘Venus as a Boy’.
All of the artists featured on InVersions recorded their covers during the pandemic, showing fans another side of their creativity in a tough year. They were chosen by Deezer for their groundbreaking work in alternative music, and selected their own songs.
“I picked ‘Ta Reine’ by Angèle because I find her voice completely mesmerising and soft, and I feel like the topic the song discusses is very important. I’ve always wanted to sing in French since my mum is French and I’m generally just enthralled by this song and her delivery. I hope I can do it justice.” Arlo Parks explains.
Fontaines D.C also revealed the reasoning behind their track and how they put their spin on it: “Covering a Beach Boys song has always been a scary thing considering the genius arrangements, their playing, their harmonies, everything about it. But it was always something quite intriguing and especially when we thought about it from the point of view of subverting the lightheartedness that they conveyed most of the time. So ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ we saw this kind of naive perspective towards love and marriage in the lyrics, and we were quite curious to see what would happen when you contrasted that approach with a darker musical palette. So we kind of slowed down the tempo and created a draggier tune for those lyrics to sit on top of. What came out of it is something that kind of reminds me a bit of The Jesus and Mary Chain and Rowland S. Howard.”
The full compilation also includes the 10 original versions, helping fans to appreciate the unique spin each artist has given to their cover. Here’s the track list for Deezer’s first InVersions:
- Fontaines D.C. – ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ – The Beach Boys
- Arlo Parks – ‘Ta Reine’ – Angèle
- Gussstave – ‘Say So’ – Doja Cat
- Chloe Moriondo – ‘Dreams’ – Fleetwood Mac
- Dream Wife – ‘Dancing on My Own’ – Robyn
- Gus Dapperton – ‘I’m on Fire’ – Bruce Springsteen
- Orla Gartland – ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ – Sinéad O’Connor
- Ela Minus – ‘Venus as a Boy’ – Björk
- BENEE – ‘Back to Black’ – Amy Winehouse
- Alfie Templeman – ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ – Tears for Fears
“We all know the music community has been hit hard by the pandemic, especially Indie artists who rely on live gigs. During this tough time, we wanted to do our part and offer support to Indie and Alternative artists with our new Inversions album. We gave each musician the freedom to recreate and add a fresh perspective on classic hits. I’d love for music fans from all over the world to discover some new favorites on our InVersions album,” said Nigel Harding, Deezer’s VP of Global Artist Marketing.
Listen to InVersions here, exclusively on Deezer. Head to www.deezer.com to discover more.
