Hear Infamous Stringdusters Cover the Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’
Any good bluegrass band is worth its weight in cover songs, so it’s no surprise to see Infamous Stringdusters returning to the fertile territory of their 2015 EP Undercover. The Virginians have a sequel, Undercover Vol. 2, on the way, which includes their version of the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”
The band isn’t afraid to tackle a far-flung mix of artists on the five-song EP, which also features songs from Marvin Gaye, Allman Brothers Band, My Morning Jacket and Daft Punk. Originally featured on the Cure’s 1987 LP Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, this uptempo version might be most closely compared to Dinosaur Jr.’s ferocious cover from a couple years later — minus J. Mascis’ ear-splitting electric guitar.
Stringdusters guitarist Andy Falco recalls being introduced to the Cure by a girlfriend when he was fresh of out high school, at a time when his musical tastes revolved around the Grateful Dead and the Beatles. “This girl got me tickets to see the Cure, and brought me to the show kicking and screaming. Well, I watched this amazing live band play these killer songs, and dug it so much I bought tickets for the next night and went again,” Falco says. “‘Just Like Heaven’ is probably one of their biggest hits, and I always felt like it would make a fun bluegrass song.”
Undercover Vol. 2 comes out October 27th and will be their third release of 2017, following Laws of Gravity, an album of Stringdusters originals that dropped last January, and its live companion piece, Laws of Gravity Live. The band plays Hillberry Music Festival in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, on Friday, October 13th.