Live Review: IYES 'Can't Feel My Face (The Weeknd Cover)'
IYES, who’ve been putting out a stream of good new music recently, have thrown in a curve ball with a slinky cover of The Weeknd’s ‘Can’t Feel My Face’.
IYES, who’ve been putting out a stream of good new music recently, have thrown in a curve ball with a slinky cover of The Weeknd’s ‘Can’t Feel My Face’. It’s much more demure than the overly loud EDM original, with Josh and Melis opting for more low-key instrumentals, and their honeyed vocals dancing around soft scrapers and bells.
As with all good covers the band brings something familiar from their own style which alters up and jars against the original, so that we think the cover is new and exciting and unique. The IYES version works very well – we’re expecting a big synthy rush at the chorus, a la the original, but it doesn’t happen, instead holding back to a simple vocals-only line as Melis gently murmurs the track’s title.
Again, as we’ve seen on all previous tracks from the duo, it’s the interplay between male and female vocals that provides the interest and niche. Both singers have captivating voices on their own, so when presented and entwined together the effect is amplified.
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What’s interesting when listening to IYES’ tracks is that they don’t always keep the same boy-sings-verse then girl-sings-chorus structure – instead they mix it up, sometimes Josh taking the husky low parts and Melis the higher notes but both are equally as competent when this is switched around. We hear this here with the male part trembling high-pitched and angelic, against the croaky unrushed strength of the female part.
It seems to be their final offering for this year, as the free-to-download Soundcloud track is given as an early Christmas present with the smiley caption ‘SEE YOU IN 2016’. Yes IYES, we shall!
Words by Katie Rowley
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