Portishead has dropped their first formal recording in 6 years and it is a cover of ABBA’s “SOS”.
The group has totally morphed the song from an upbeat hit to a haunting ballad, the happy piano replaced with a sinister synth. “Whatever happened to our love? I wish I understood,” Beth Gibbons sings as the slow burning track lingers beneath her.
Gibbons, Adrian Utley, and Geoff Barrow contributed the track to the new film High-Rise starring Tom Hiddleston. There are no plans for the song to be released commercially.
“SOS” marks Portishead’s first new recording since the 2009 single released for charity by the name of “Chase the Tear”. In February 2014, Utley said he and the rest of Portishead were “clearing our schedules” with plans to record a brand new full length album, but the group has been quiet on all fronts since then.
The audio of the track has been removed from YouTube per the bands wishes, but you can enjoy the original track below.