Brooklyn Band To Watch Nation Of Language finally released their excellent debut album Introduction, Presence back in May, and we named it one of the best albums of the year so far. Now, they’re back with a Pixies cover, the A-side of a limited edition 7″ single with a new original, “One More Try,” as the B-side. Ian Devaney explains how the cover came about:

People come to us all the time suggesting songs we should cover, but 98% of the time they’re songs written by our more obvious sonic influences. If I can’t offer a new angle or interpretation to the song, I’d rather spend that energy on creating original work.

When Aidan suggested “Gouge Away” I was immediately struck by how badly I wanted to rework it in our style, and the whole song mapped itself out in my head right away. I didn’t let myself listen to the original from then until it was fully recorded so I might forget certain details about it, leaving only my impression of it’s foundational elements – the way the quiet, unsettling verses give way to the savage choruses, the way the big transitional guitar line overwhelms you every time it happens. What we ended up with felt like an honest reimagining so we’re proud to present it to everyone and shed light on our favorite song by a band we really love.

Nation Of Language reimagine the song as a taut synth-pop groove, focusing on the iconic bassline, and it really works. Listen and compare it to the original below.