Listen: SOAK – “The Mother We Share” (CHVRCHES cover) [Premiere]

-
Fresh off a tour with label-mates CHVRCHES, 17-year-old Belfast native SOAK (aka Bridie Monds-Watson) strips things down to the bones of what you believe on her cover of “The Mother We Share”, premiering today on Best Fit.

It’s a bold move, removing the perfectly orchestrated synths and electronic drums that made the original a standout in 2013. But SOAK is not your typical teenager; her original works lay emotional turmoil square on the table and confront it head on (and earning her comparisons to Cat Power in the process). On “The Mother We Share”, she reinterprets and reinvents in her own image, replacing a wall of sound with a whisper.

A fingerpicked acoustic guitar provides most of the instrumentation, only occasionally giving way to resonating piano chords and backing vocals. SOAK’s unique timbre gives the melody a different feel, allowing the song to breathe, echo, and come alive in new ways. All of this is done without disturbing the juxtaposition of sweet and sad that served as the emotional core of the original, and that’s quite a feat. But, again, Bridie Monds-Watson is not your typical teenager.

SOAK will play a headline gig at St. Pancras Old Church in London on 10 April.