Fontaines D.C. have taken on triple j’s Like A Version, offering up a brooding, synth-infused take on Bring Me The Horizon’s “Can You Feel My Heart”—with an unexpected “Heart-Shaped” Nirvana twist.
While on their recent Australian tour, the Irish post-punks stripped the 2013 BMTH anthem of its guitars, opting instead for a lush, electronic-heavy arrangement that transforms the track into something hauntingly beautiful.
Just when you think it’s reached peak atmosphere, frontman Grian Chatten seamlessly weaves in the opening verse and chorus of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” to close out the performance.
“It was Grian’s idea initially,” guitarist Conor Curley said of the decision to cover “Can You Feel My Heart”. “I think the sound of that song, the kind of electronic elements and just the general vibe of it, reflects stuff we were touching on with our latest album Romance, so that seemed like a good place to start.”
To make the track their own, Fontaines D.C. completely stripped it down and rebuilt it from the ground up. “We got rid of all the guitars, there’s no stringed instruments—we’re all on the ones and twos,” Curley explained. “I think it creates a vibe.”
The inclusion of “Heart-Shaped Box” came about almost by accident. “It’s definitely up there with one of the first songs I learned on guitar in drop D,” Curley shared. “Grian just started singing it when we were getting the sounds… it was almost like, ‘Oh, do we switch to that and just use the instrumentation?’ So it kind of just made sense.”
Before settling on the BMTH/Nirvana mash-up, Fontaines D.C. also considered covering Crocodiles’ “Groove Is In The Heart/California Girls” but ultimately decided against it.
Their Like A Version debut comes amid a turbulent time for the band. Just days after wrapping up their Australian shows—where they debuted new single ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’—Fontaines D.C. announced the cancellation of their South American tour due to Chatten sustaining a herniated disc that requires “urgent medical attention.”
Check out the full performance below, and prepare to feel all the feelings.
