Bat For Lashes has covered The Carpenters’ classic “We’ve only Just Begun,” which was originally featured on the duo’s 1970 studio album Close To You. While the performer had previously covered the song during her live concerts, this is the first studio version of the track. According to Pitchfork, Natasha Khan (the performer behind Bat For Lashes) recorded her vocal and piano portions in Los Angeles, while the strings were arranged by Hugh Brunt and performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra.

This take on “We’ve Only Just Begun” is slower than the original, with Khan giving the track a passionate vocal performance, accompanied by an ethereal instrumental, with melodic piano keys and drawn out strings. This heartfelt cover feels more ballad driven and gives Khan a chance to show off her vocal abilities.

Khan performed a couple of covers back in February, tackling Cyndi Lauper’s “I Drove All Night” and Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work,” during a show in London. The artist was touring at the beginning of the year in support of her latest studio album Lost Girls. This project was supported by the singles “Kids In The Dark” and “Feel For You.”

“We have to commend her ambition and the way in which she so gently takes us to a place we never knew existed,” mxdwn reviewer Alessandro Gueli explained. “Maybe it’s not even a conscious thing, but rather an instinctual part of her process, and if anything, it’s refreshing to see an artist so subtly defy the weight of commercial expectation.”

Photo Credit: Ekaterina Gorbacheva