Swedish post-punk outfit Viagra Boys have teamed up with Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers for cover of the late John Prine’s “In Spite of Ourselves.” This was the title track to Prine’s 13th studio album, which came out in 1999 and was noted for its duet with women vocalists, with this song originally featuring Iris DeMent.
For this cover the Viagra Boys wear some clear punk influences thanks to its bass heavy instrumental, while referencing a country aesthetic, eschewing all conventional forms of country music. “In Spite of Ourselves” is filled with experimental moments; melodies after the chorus feel gritty, and heavily contrasts with the slowed spacey instrumental during the chorus. The music video emulates this style as well, purposefully appearing as a low-budget country video, featuring cheap cowboy costumes and images that have an Americana aesthetic such as cacti, yardwork and American Flags.
The Viagra Boy’s Sebastian Murphy chose Taylor due to her ability to sing with an Australian accent, that heavily diverges from most country music. Murphy explains that he has been listening to the group since 2017 and eventually got to be in the same circles.
“i love that she sings with an australian accent which is not too common in country songs ive heard before. ive listened to the sniffers since way back when we started and benke showed me ‘im not a loser,” Murphy wrote in a press release. “then ive had the privilege of playing with them and hangin out and partying with Amy and the band all over the world and we’ve hit it off from the start.”
The Viagra Boys have one studio album on the way called Welfare Jazz. while their first and only release Street Worms came out in 2018.
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