Listen to Gang Of Youths’ enchanting cover of Wilco’s ‘A Shot In The Arm’

nme.com:

Gang Of Youths have shared a cover of Wilco’s 1999 track ‘A Shot In The Arm’, performing it live in a session for the SiriusXM station The Spectrum.They’ve kept much of the song’s airy, lightly melancholic energy intact, elevating it with layered synths – one bassy and woozy, the other glittery, akin to a synthesised xylophone – understated violins and Dave Le’aupepe’s commanding lead vocals.It’s a fitting cover, given the lyrical themes explored on Gang Of Youths’ recent third album, ‘Angel In Realtime’ – a concept album about the life of Le’aupepe’s late father.

Towards the end of their cover of ‘A Shot In The Arm’, Le’aupepe sings the refrain passionately: “What you once were isn’t what you want to be anymore.”Have a listen to Gang Of Youths’ cover of ‘A Shot In The Arm’ below:In a recent interview with Stereogum, Le’aupepe noted Wilco as a key influence on ‘Angel In Realtime’, singling out the Chicago group’s iconic fourth album, 2001’s ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’.“I love ‘Summerteeth’, but I just can’t get past that album,” he said. “That first track [‘I Am Trying To Break Your Heart’], it’s bare-bones, but sonically it speaks to this otherworldly type of trials that I think that band were trying to get at.“And the real thing for me in that fucking song is the drumming.

Glenn [Kotche]’s drumming is absolutely phenomenal and outrageous and strange and almost reflective of this – I don’t want to use the word ‘primitive’ pejoratively, but sort of a primitive style of drumming that I think Donnie [Borzestowski] was really moved by.

And so we tried to replicate some of those moments. ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’ [is] a fucking huge reference for me, just in general.”Gang Of Youths are currently touring across the UK in support of.