Synthpop group Bronski Beat’s 1984 debut single “Smalltown Boy” is an anthemic hit about growing up queer in rural England. It was a brave, surprising hit upon its release, and it remains culturally present today, to the point that the song soundtracked a TikTok challenge when it turned 40 this year. Now, there’s a new version of “Smalltown Boy” from Perfume Genius and production duo the Knocks.

Perfume Genius is about to head out on his Too Bright 10th-anniversary tour, and he recently dropped a couple of tracks on the National Anthem soundtrack and guested on Fashion Club’s single “Forget.” He’ll team up with Low’s Alan Sparhawk on a track from the forthcoming TRAИƧA compilation. The Knocks last appeared on this site when they teamed up with Foster The People for the 2021 covers EP Melody & Silence.

Together, Perfume Genius and the Knocks have turned “Smalltown Boy” into a pounding dance track, and Mike Hadreas really goes wild with the diva vocals. The track is coming out in conjunction with Bronski Beat’s 40th-anniversary version of their album The Age Of Consent; we’ve already posted their “Why?” remix with vocals from Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant. In a press release, Bronski Beat singer Jimmy Somerville says that the “Smalltown Boy” cover is “like a beautiful echo coming back after travelling a long and eventful distance.” Meanwhile, Perfume Genius says:

When you’re trying to sing an iconic song, you want to make sure that you can do it justice and then also add your own information without fucking with it too much, you know? So, it’s a tall order, but I was really, really excited…

I think I always have hope, and I think my experience is that all of my friends in the community do, too. We’re good at it. In the face of whatever. In the face of nothing. In the face of a lot. We’re good at having hope, and we’re good at building it up and finding where it is.

The Knocks’ Ben Ruttner says:

We wanted to really keep it close to the original but just give it a little more of a modern dancefloor feel. Perfume Genius already brings such a cool new element to it, so we just wanted to support his voice as much as possible while giving it a little bit of the Knocks dance-pop touch. That main synth sound is so iconic, so we wanted that to be the main star of the show, still.

Below, check out the Perfume Genius/Knocks version of “Smalltown Boy,” as well as the original Bronski Beat video.

Bronski Beat’s deluxe Age Of Consent reissue is out 10/18 on London Records.