AMAARA - "Alsatian Darn"

Panda Bear’s Tomboy is a record that I spent a lot of time with during the summer of 2011. These days, it serves as a sort of time capsule for me, immediately transporting me back to specific times and places at the tail end of the ‘indie sleaze’ era. One of my favorite songs on this now timeless record is “Alsatian Darn,” a hymnal-esque, kaleidoscopic-sounding track that dissects the complex identity of the Alsatian people.

When I heard AMAARA’s excellent cover of “Alsatian Darn,” I was struck by her ability to build off of the original by expanding its sonic template. Her version digs deeper into feeling, placing more of an emphasis on mood and vibe. The synthesizers on the track reverberate and drive everything that surrounds them, making AMAARA’s version feel dreamier. It’s almost somnambulant in nature with a steady, but driving beat that slightly echoes.

It appears that Tomboy had a similarly lasting impact on AMAARA. She shared the following on how the cover came together:

“Tomboy came out pretty soon after I started playing in bands, and it was one of those records that felt like the holy grail of indie music at the time. Alsatian Darn has always been my favorite song on the album and I’ve wanted to cover it for years - though I always thought I would try to make a version as close to Noah’s as possible. Ten years later, the song came to mind while mixing my record in Bath, Ontario. We had an extra day in the studio, so I learned it on the piano and it started taking shape into a very different feeling track - one that ended up on the album, which wasn’t the initial plan.”

AMAARA also shared a gorgeous video for the song, which you can steam below!

“Alsatian Darn” will appear on AMAARA’s forthcoming album, Child of Venus, which is set for release later this year. You can purchase the track on Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify. Keep up with AMAARA by following her on Instagram.