Exclusive Song Premiere: ‘Starry Eyed,’ Wishes & Thieves

ABOVE: WISHES & THIEVES’ FOREST FIRES ALBUM ART.

We’re pleased to premiere an Ellie Goulding cover that isn’t an oppressive dub-step rendering that leaches the femininity or affect out of the British crooner’s brand of indie-pop. Brooklyn four-piece Wishes & Thieves added a cover of “Starry Eyed” to a 7-inch available today on the heels of Lighthouse, their much-lauded freshman EP.

“I’ve been a fan of Ellie Goulding since her EP release in 2009, so when “Starry Eyed” was thrown out as an option for our first cover, it was an obvious choice. Plus, her music has an electronic element that already suited our sound,” explains Jolanda Porter, vocalist for the band. “Over all, we’re happy with how the record came out, and we hope we’ll gain a few new fans in the process.”

Wishes & Thieves’s bass-heavy version subjects the ethereal, atmospheric track to gravity without draining the fun and whimsy. Porter’s voice, itself strong and affecting, doesn’t reach or alter itself into the Ellie Goulding stratosphere but nestles itself neatly into a delicate arrangement of bass, guitar, syth, and percussion. The MVP of this rendering is the chorus; rhapsodic percussion builds into a bass-y drone that pulses through the chorus, overlaid with a charming electric guitar riff we’ll be humming all day. 

WISHES & THIEVES RELEASES A 7-INCH FEATURING “STARRY EYED” TODAY, AND THEIR SOPHOMORE EP FOREST FIRES IS OUT MAY 15. FOR MORE ON THE BAND, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE.