The Afghan Whigs have great songs for days, but they'd still be legends even if you only ever factored in their cover songs. Greg Dulli and friends have always had fascinating taste, and they bring their own bluesy intensity to the songs that they take on, whether we're talking about the Police or Frank Ocean. The last time they were on this website, it was for an appearance on a Lou Reed tribute album. I saw them cover Usher with Usher once. That was crazy. Today, the band shares a new single where they cover songs from two of their much younger peers, Poliça and Still Corners.
The Afghan Whigs start off their new single with a stormy take on "Fake Like," a track that Minneapolis synthpoppers Poliça released back in 2016. They switch the genders up, but that's the least of the changes there. The biggest change is that they make it sound like an Afghan Whigs song. The original assuredly did not sound like an Afghan Whigs song. The B-side, weirdly, is another cover of a synthpoppy indie song from 2016 that was originally sung by a woman: "Downtown," from the UK band Still Corners. They turn that one into a truly majestic slow-burn. It's sick.
The new Afghan Whigs single is the band's first release since How Do You Burn, the album that they released in 2022. In a press release, Greg Dulli says, "Both of these songs were born out of soundcheck jams. Each song holds a particular resonance for me, and I really felt the lyrics, so they both flowed freely and felt good to sing." Check out both covers below.
"Fake Like" b/w "Downtown" is out now on Royal Cream/BMG, and a limited 7" is coming out on Cincinnati's Shake It Records.
