Get ready for a trip down nostalgia lane as Hands Like Houses cover Fuel’s ‘Shimmer’.

‘Shimmer’ is one of those tracks that sort of encapsulates the soft rock era of the 90s and boy did Hands Like Houses bring it back in a big way for 2020.

The Canberra anthemic rock lads dusted off Fuel’s hit 1998 single for a go around on the latest edition of Triple J’s Like A Version, and did not disappoint.

While the 90s nostalgia vibes are certainly still there, Hands Like Houses certainly brought their own flair to ‘Shimmer’ by bringing a serious dose of energy to the cover.

The result is pretty damn good and I do say so myself. Of course, we sort of expected Hands Like Houses to rock this cover given their penchant for putting out great renditions of 90s classics, such as No Doubt’s ‘Don’t Speak‘ and Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn‘.

Speaking about the band’s approach to ‘Shimmer’, guitarist Alex Pearson says: “This song in particular, I remember watching it on Rage. It was from a particular time where there were these big rock bands all over the airwaves.”

“There’s always a sweet spot, because you could do a cover that’s exactly the same and a cover that’s totally different and neither of them work,” says lead singer Trenton Woodley.

Love Classic Rock?

Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

“So it’s kind of [about] just bringing a flavour rather than changing the recipe.”

This cover is also came about in a slightly odd way as Woodley lives “five hours” away from his band mates, and due to the whole social distancing thing, the band’s Like A Version performance was the first time he had actually sung the cover live with all the other members.

If this Like A Version cover got you excited, then you’ll be stoked to hear that Hands Like Houses will be dropping their new self-titled EP on Friday, October 23rd.

Check out Hands Like Houses’ cover of ‘Shimmer’ by Fuel:

YouTube VideoPlay

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine