Rosie Carney is just a couple of weeks away from unleashing her cover album of Radiohead’s The Bends, and today has shared a couple of final teasers. Prime among them is her version of “Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was”, which also comes with a self-shot video. She says:
“The whole record is very relatable to me, but “Bullet Proof” in particular really captured how lost I was feeling basically throughout the whole year. So many moments were spent wishing I was mentally stronger and wishing someone could just tell me what to do with my time every day.”
The original is already a delicate, heartbreaking track, so Carney didn’t have to change much to make it work for her own style – and yet she still makes it entirely her own. Carefully managing the layers of instrumentation and how they gradually enter the song, from skeletal piano and voice, to cooing harmonies, she keeps us locked in – then wipes us out with the gentlest tidal wave of emotion as she hits the central desire “just wish that I was bullet proof,” as voice and piano blossom with this admission. You can hear her own personal emotion imbued into every word she sings, and as she gradually inserts more atmospheric instrumentation and layers of voice into “Bullet Proof”, we get a full display of Carney’s composure and artistry in a breathtaking sweep.
Also released today is her version of “Sulk”, which also goes more atmospheric than the original, with Carney’s digitised voice backed by more forlorn robot-like vocal lamentations and some subtle synth organ. It’s another impressive reinvention.
Watch the video for “Bullet Proof” below, and check out “Sulk” on streaming platforms.
If you missed them, you can hear Carney’s version of “Black Star” and”Just” here, and her version of “Bones” here. Her full version of The Bends comes out on December 11 via Color Study.
