Usually when bands attempt to cover the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they go straight for “Maps.” Maybe if they’re feeling itchy, they’ll bust out a “Zero” or a “Y Control,” just to, you know, stay fresh. But as we learned with their irresistible electronic pop hit “Just Yet”, Toronto trio For Esmé don’t usually go for the obvious.
Today, they unveiled a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ 2006 hit “Gold Lion.” The song, which you can hear below via Soundcloud, is a collaborative effort between For Esmé and producer and fellow Torontonian Wolf Saga, who is building quite a collection of y2k-wave covers spruced up with some modern production, vocals, and flair.
In fact, after we listened to “Gold Lion” about a dozen times, we’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of Wolf Saga’s Soundcloud page, which includes kinda awesome covers of the Strokes’ “You Only Live Once,” Peter Bjorn & John’s “Young Folks,” and “Kids” by MGMT (which we never thought we ever needed to hear ever again).
Maybe Luke O’Neil is right. Maybe y2k-wave is real. Start practicing your cover of “Maps” and get busy with For Esmé and Wolf Saga’s “Gold Lion” below…