The lullaby-like quality of 'Chancellor' is emphasized by an opening snippet of a crying baby. This quiet classic from Gord Downie's solo catalogue gets a harp-kissed rework thanks to Jenn Grant. It's a perfect send-off to a year filled with rage, death and injustice, and Brandon Williams' moody emo vocals are the perfect vessel to effortlessly overwrite whatever the hell Third Eye Blind had to whine about back in 1997.ĭays before releasing their debut LP New Long Leg, rising UK post-punks Dry Cleaning shifted their attention to a slow and hazy rework of 2012's breakthrough single 'Oblivion.' The Grimes cover arrived as part of Bills & Aches & Blues EP3, one part of a 40th-anniversary compilation series from 4AD's current roster covering songs from the label's discography. 1, a covers EP that features fellow Canadians Just John, Charmaine, jacksoul and more.Īfter the trash fire that was 2020, Oshawa songwriter Chastity suggests it might be better to forget the entire year with a moody - and timely - cover of a '90s pop classic. Sam Cooke's original might be the great work in the history of recorded music - no exaggeration - but Toronto R&B singer Myles Castello retains the passion of 'A Change Is Gonna Come' while also giving it his own mellow, groovy spin. From hyper-local celebrations of Canadian communities to fresh renditions of ultra-famous songs, here are the best cover songs of 2021 so far.Īfter their remarkable 2021 debut, English post-rockers Black Country, New Road passed themselves the torch of their hipster forebears, MGMT, with a cover of their early-aughts era-defining 'Time to Pretend.' Employing a host of stringed instruments and Conor Oberst-style vocals, the seven-piece strip away the song's synth-pop origins to reveal an earnest tune about a group of youngsters on the verge of rock superstardom - only without all the American Apparel and glow sticks. We're only halfway through the year and we've already seen a huge wave of covers collections, tribute albums and one-off releases.Įven if these cover tunes were made out of necessity by artists attempting to remain viable during the pandemic, they have yielded some beautiful results.

With touring off the table, fans to entertain and an algorithm that demands a steady flow of fresh content, many artists have been releasing remixes or cover songs in 2021.

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