Cold War Kids have just released a new cover of Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain,” showcasing a beautiful collaboration with British singer/songwriter, Bishop Briggs. This cover comes just after the release and success of their most recent album, LA Divine. Cold War Kids have been performing the cover on the road and decided to record it at Sonoa Records in Los Feliz.
The cover video begins with candid footage and pictures of the two singers in the creation process. They laugh and discuss the cover, giving the audience the feeling that they are right in the studio with them. When the cover begins, the audience is quickly blown away by the powerful mesh of voices of both Cold War lead singer Nathan Willett and Briggs. The cover is a haunting and emotional take on the Rihanna’s pop song. The piano and background music is slow and quiet, allowing the two voices to carry all of the emotion. Willett and Briggs are a great match and their powerful voices turn the song into something very different than the original version.
Willett has always wanted to record a cover of Rihanna’s song. He told Entertainment Weekly, “I have stayed up all night watching a hundred YouTube live versions of Rihanna singing this song. There is nothing better. She has this way of being vulnerable in her words but protecting herself with so much attitude. For this version, I felt like we needed to put a microscope on the vulnerable, aching side. Singing it with Bishop – having that female – male dialogue back and forth is so powerful, and classic – the song feels like a modern pop standard. But mostly, this might be the only way we get to meet RiRi.”
Their sixth studio LP that was released earlier this month, LA Divine, has found lot of success. The album’s first song, “Love is Mythical,” held the No. 1 spot for Most Increased Plays at AAA radio for two consecutive weeks and hit the Top 5 of the Alt 18 Countdown and Top 10 at Alternative and Top 5 at AAA radio. The song has nearly 6 million Spotify streams worldwide, jumped into both Spotify’s U.S. and Global Viral charts and is currently #4 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. The band just wrapped a sold out North American headline tour and will also join Young The Giant on the “Home of the Strange Tour,” beginning August 2nd in Louisville, KY.
Check out their brand new cover below, and be sure to download their latest album.
Photo Credits: Owen Ela, Brett Padelford
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