French alt-metallers Ashen are no stranger to an odd cover, having taken on Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" some years back. Now the quintet have put their own spin on Charli XCX's "Sympathy Is A Knife," taken from the pop star's 2024 smash LP brat. While it debuted on Amazon Music's "Artists To Watch" promotion earlier this year, the song has now hit all major DSPs.
Frontman Clem Richards offers the following on the cover and its composition:
"We wanted to have some fun starting with a hyperpop track and see what we could do with it. When we listened to 'Sympathy is a Knife,' we found that, emotionally, it felt surprisingly close to an emo song.
We were deeply moved by the theme and wanted to create a cover that would blend these different genres. Today, this cover really feels like ASHEN, while still preserving the original song's subversive strength and energy. We wanted to make the song our own without losing what made the original so powerful and provocative in the first place."
Check it out below:
Ashen are set to embark on part three of their Chimera tour, kicking off with Languederock Fest next weekend:
09/25 Béziers, FR @ LANGUEDEROCK FEST
10/03 Bruay-la-Buissière, FR @ AÜTFEST
10/09 Bordeaux, FR @ ROCHER DE PALMER
10/10 Toulouse, FR @ SIDIFEST
10/16 Niort, FR @ RISE FALL FEST
10/17 Lorient, FR @ PIT DOG
10/18 Nantes, FR @ COLD CRASH
10/24 Liège, BE @ LA GUERRE DES GAULES FEST
11/13 Marseille, FR @ LE DODU
11/14 St-Georges-de-Reneins, FR @ BEALIOFEST
11/20 Auch, FR @ CRIART
11/21 Agen, FR @ LE FLORIDA
11/27 Lausanne, CH @ LE ROMANDIE
11/28 Mons-en-Bareul, FR @ TOUR DE CHAUFFE FEST
12/01 Lons-le-Saunier, FR @ LES ABATTOIRS
12/03 Bourgoin-Jallieu, FR @ BOEUF METAL ASSAULT FEST
12/05 Beautor, FR @ ARSENAL FEST
12/12 Savigny-le-Temple, FR @ CHARITABLE METAL FEST
12/19 Limoges, FR @ CCM JOHN LENNON
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