Fans of Boris will be eagerly awaiting the band’s forthcoming album W out January 21st next year, but ahead of that the Japanese band have shared a surprise two-track festive EP. Noël consists of a reworking of the Boris track “Pardon?” by Lauren Auder and French producer Dviance, and the band’s own take on Wham’s Christmas classic “Last Christmas.” Speaking of the new version of “Pardon?”, the band said:
“When Lauren Auder replied to our post and told us “I love this album very much,” we were very excited. We really like Lauren’s voice, atmosphere, music and video work. We replied back that we would like to work together someday soon. New Album is an album that has received various criticisms before, however, like Lauren, we also happen to love this album very much. Now, ten years later, we have asked Lauren to sing a new interpretation from it.“
Lauren Auder adds: “I’ve been a long-time fan of Boris’s work and New Album has been particularly influential on my musical style. When this came up, Atsuo from the band proposed I take a shot at making a new version of the track. I was at the time working on my debut full length with my long-time co-writer Dviance and knowing how much he has also been inspired by Boris’ work it only made sense for us to work on this one together. I’m extremely excited for this to have come together and hoping to continue this collaboration in the future.“
Auder and Dviance’s take is rain-soaked and textured, like a freezing and rain-soaked December night. Taking a brief respite from the downpour in the middle for a moment of string-laden beauty, the song moves by with a weary elegance.
Boris’ take on “Last Christmas”, on the other hand, has a strange familiarity to it. One would half expect the Tokyo band to devour the original beyond recognition, but their take is surprisingly faithful – albeit deluged in fuzz and noise. Still, those sleigh bells keep ringing throughout, and the original’s sense of longing is still there in the repeated iterations of the title. Speaking of their take on the Wham track, the band said:
“This is a Christmas present for everyone who lives with the various restrictions stemming from COVID-19. Here in Japan, it is customary to give gifts at Christmas. We hope this Christmas will be the “Last Christmas” of COVID-19.“
Both tracks are available exclusively through Bandcamp, via Sacred Bones – have a listen below.
Noël is out now via Sacred Bones. The band’s new album, W, is out January 21st 2022 via Sacred Bones. Stay tuned to Boris’ happenings via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
