Noise pop band Sleigh Bells have released a cover of the traditional folk song “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” (also known as “In The Pines) which was made famous by traditional folk singer Lead Belly, and famously covered by Nirvana for their 1993 MTV Unplugged in New York live album. The track was originally made for the trailer to the film The Rhythm Section, directed by Reed Morano, and starring Blake Lively, Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown.

This Sleigh Bells cover features some eerie production, with numerous synthesizers, and a bassy rhythm making up the first part, before the bass drops and the beat and style switches to a noisier, rock-styled cover. The end finishes off with a simple guitar and vocal overlays, which manage to keep the cover’s eerie tone.

“We’ve kept in touch with Reed over the years as her body of work has grown, and were honored this summer when she asked us to cover Lead Belly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’ for the trailer for her upcoming film The Rhythm Section. The Nirvana and Lead Belly versions of the song are total classics, but with some apprehension we decided to give it a shot.”

The band made an appearance at the celebration for the 10 Years of Mom + Pop, anniversary at Brooklyn Steel earlier this year. Last year the duo released the previously unreleased song “Holly” which was part of the 10 Years of Mom+Pop compilation box set, that was released as part of Record Store Day Black Friday for 2018.

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna