CHVRCHES Cover Bauhaus’ Goth Classic “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”: Listen
CHVRCHES had a landmark year in 2013, releasing one of pop’s strongest debut albums and making it onto a host of year-end lists. Along the way, they churned out some impressive covers — everything from Prince to HAIM. And now they’ve kicked off 2014 with a cover of Bauhaus‘ debut single, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” for the Vampire Academy soundtrack (which also features material from Katy Perry, Sky Ferreira, Goldfrapp and more).
The Scots have taken the 1979 goth epic and trimmed into a focused four minutes of lean synth-pop — singer Lauren Mayberry wisely doesn’t try to match Peter Murphy’s sepulchral vocals, instead evoking an ethereal desperation. So while it’s not as pitch-black ominous as the original, it’s interesting to hear them successfully pull off a more saccharine version of the OG goth song.
Hear it below.
[via Digital Spy]
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