The Alaskan alternative-rockers Portugal. The Man have released their own rendition of Sublime’s 1997 hit “Santeria.” An announcement talking about the cover was delivered by the band through Twitter.

According to the band’s statement, the cover was released in part to explore the concept of “Portugal The Woman,” which has involved various tracks being recorded by the band’s vocalist Zoe Manville as the lead vocalist, as the band’s frontman John Baldwin Gourley recorded vocals for the band’s upcoming album out of town. The band’s post explained that as they were recording various ’90s covers, they were asked to perform a concert in support of women’s reproductive rights. They proceeded to offer a 5 song set as Portugal the Woman. See the band’s  Twitter thread below.

When listening to the new rendition of “Santeria,” it becomes immediately clear that Portugal intend to offer a highly distinct and original take on the classic track. As opposed to the bouncy reggae-rock style of the original, Portugal’s cover is more sweet and soft, letting slow pianos dominate the sound. Manville’s vocals are distorted in a way that adds a some ethereal quality to the rendition, overall creating a very different atmosphere than the 1997 track. Listen to Portugal The Man’s cover of Sublime’s “Santeria” via Amazon Music below.

To paraphrase Kyle O’Quin; what are the chances that the best singer of the best band would cover the best song of 1997? Here’s Zoe Manville, doing her take on the Sublime masterpiece, Santeria.

Available only as an Amazon Original on Amazon Music. https://t.co/KdeatjKUzi pic.twitter.com/THXpLgNSBV

— Portugal The Man (@portugaltheman) May 20, 2022

Portugal. The Man have recently been announced as performers at the upcoming annual Mempho Music Festival, alongside such acts as Jason Isbell, Wilco and The Black Keys. The alt-rockers have previously released a single and music video titled “What Me Worry?”

Photo Credit: Kalyn Oyer