Katy Perry wouldn’t strike consistent, worthwhile pop gold until Teenage Dream, but her first two big singles — “I Kissed A Girl” and “Hot N Cold” — were kitschy, if a little grating, songs that will nonetheless be remembered fondly because they launched the career of one of today’s biggest stars. “Hot N Cold” in particular has some fire, and Empress Of’s Lorely Rodriguez does her best to dull that down with her icy electronic work on her cover of the track for Rookie, putting a grey cloud over what is a vibrantly angry song. It works for the most part, though it’s missing some of the bratty energy that it takes to pull off some of the more questionable lines. The cover comes in advance of Empress Of’s debut album, Me, which will be released next month. Check it out below.

Me is out 9/11 via Terrible Records.