Entertainment
Song Premiere: The Vaccines “Handsome Reimagined (Dave Fridmann Edit)
a whiskey-fueled rock ‘n’ roll anthem.
For the most part, The Vaccines have been laying low since the release of 2012's Come of Age. But after what felt like ages, the British four-piece is back with what promises to be another boisterous rock staple. One month ago (to the day), they released "Handsome," the first single from their upcoming album, English Graffiti. Riding that wave (the song and its kung-fu video have been playing on constant loop at BBC One and just about everyone's personal music library), the group is releasing a special remix of the song by producer David Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, MGMT).
"For us it was really important that we didn't just release a b-side that was essentially a song not strong enough to make it on the record," says The Vaccines frontman Justin Young. "We felt like that approach could damage the feeling of cohesion and focus. There were so many 'Easter eggs' in the songs that weren't being heard. So we liked the idea of the producers of the record approaching the songs in exactly the way they would have done if we weren't there and essentially ending up with two songs out of one. And Dave's interpretation of 'Handsome' is the first of these."
The result is a fuzzier, more rebellious version of the throbbing pop rock original. It still maintains the anchoring bassline and foot-stomping hand claps, making this rendition read more like a live performance—one undoubtedly meant to be accompanied by a bevy of warm, foamy beers and picklebacks.
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