The Best and Worst Our Last Night Covers
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Our Last Night is a post-hardcore band that is known for covering a variety of songs, but let’s get one thing straight: Our Last Night is NOT ONLY a cover band. The band started creating covers of pop and rap songs back in 2013, when they created A Summer of Covers. The band released 4 songs at first, and after seeing how much positive attention they received, they decided to keep the momentum going.
They started off strong with their covers that were new, fun, and catchy. It was also a bonus that listeners didn’t have to wait for a full album release of Pop Goes Punk in order to hear different pop songs with a heavy twist. The band also made their renditions more intimate by adding a mild music video of them playing their cover in their personal homes and studios.
As the band continued, not all of the covers turned out to be major hits. It may have been that their sound didn’t mesh well with the original tune, or it may have been that the song was not meant to be covered, but they tried anyways.
So, without further adieu, here are the best and worst covers by Our Last Night.
BEST
9. ”Someone You Loved” (2019)
Lewis Capaldi took the world by storm with this hit and Our Last Night was hoping to do the same. This song was one of the most recent songs that the band has covered, while featuring the artists they were on tour with at the time: I See Stars, The Word Alive, and Ashland.
8. “Blank Space” (2015) and “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017)
Let’s just say that Our Last Night knows how to cover Taylor Swift in order to make her songs tolerable. These covers are both stronger and more versatile than the originals, and it’s due to the Wentworth brothers’ ability to blend their voices together so well. Hats off for these two!
7. “When the Party’s Over” (2019)
Billie Eilish has certainly made a name for herself, having recently won four of the most important Grammy categories in 2020, and Our Last Night decided to try and match her talent. The band kept the song slow and heartfelt as Eilish had, which left listeners intrigued and impressed with the band’s rendition. Their heavy guitars and bass seemed to have brought even more emotion to the song, as well as choosing to change the vocal styling so that there was more range to the song.
6. “Stressed Out” (2016)
Going into listening to this cover, fans weren’t sure what to expect. It was a band covering another band in the same or related music genres. Luckily, both versions are equally as catchy, yet very different. One obvious difference is the added screaming into the cover version, but there are more distinct sounds of higher pitched guitars instead of mainly drums. Both are also good to listen to when you are stressed out.
5. “Dark Horse” (2014)
Katy Perry used to be considered a member of the scene and even played at Warped Tour, so it only makes sense that Our Last Night covered her major hit and made it into one of their top songs. The band incorporated this cover into the majority of their sets for multiple tours, because it was extremely popular and it was easy for each crowd to fall in love with.
4. “Habits (Stay High)” (2014)
Tov Lo took the world by storm with this song and Our Last Night brought it justice with this rock cover. It seems that some of the best covers the band has produced have been songs by female artists. Matt Wentworth, the singer and guitarist of the band, does an exceptional job of altering songs to fit his voice and in turn Trevor Wentworth’s voice as well.
3. “Stay” (2013)
Another bold move to cover a female artist as strong as Rihanna, but this icon would probably tip her hat to the band for being able to add a different point of view to this song. This ballad is quite emotional, which the band uses to their advantage. It was recorded during the band’s Summer of Covers and was the most powerful song in the set, with the impressive guitar work and beautiful harmonies. The rest of the songs during this summer would also have potential for best covers, but let’s try and highlight other key moments for the band.
2. “1-800-273-8255” (2017)
This powerful song took the fanbase by storm, following in the footsteps of Logic and drawing everyone’s attention to the Suicide Prevention Line. This song connects with all audiences and it was important that Our Last Night brought attention to mental health in their music genre. The band also highlighted social issues with their song, “Sunrise,” where they raised awareness of depression that stems from bullying. Overall a powerful song, message, and cover.
1. “Skyfall” (2013)
This is the cover that started it all. Our Last Night covered Adele and it was incredible! Not many people would try to cover such a powerful song, and yet they did it. The band was so confident in their cover that they added the song onto their album Age of Ignorance (Deluxe Edition). Multiple vocalists and a differential stylistic approach gives this rendition a new level of dimension and replayability.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F_fg4QrBvI&w=854&h=480]
And now for the bad news…
WORST
6. “Hot Girl Bummer” (2020)
Unfortunately, this new hit was not as good as the original Blackbear has created. This song was so hot when it came out that it was hard to try and make it better. This style of music seems to trouble Our Last Night often and it might have sounded better if they sped up the tempo a bit, or did a little less yelling throughout the song and more singing. This is the first cover the band has released in 2020, but hopefully the band can only get better from here!
5. “Better Now” (2018)
Post Malone was a bold choice for this band to cover, and unfortunately, adding so many guest artists to the song did not make it better (now). The song was performed well by all artists, including Our Last Night, Fronzilla from Attila, Tilian from Dance Gavin Dance, and Luke Holland on the drums, but overall it just fell a bit short.
4. “God’s Plan” (2018)
Here we go again with the rap song being made into a rock song; not a good idea. Drake has a certain swag that is hard for artists to cover or copy, which listeners can tell here. The chorus isn’t too bad, but as a whole, the song does not live up to the original.
3. “Havana” (2018)
Our Last Night didn’t sound bad during this cover, but they did sound boring. They turned Camila Cabella’s catchy tune into an almost monotone song. After listening through, nothing from the song really stood out. The band could have played with the drum portion of this song to make the cover more dynamic, but in the end, it was just bland.
2. “Black Beatles” (2017)
This song was a bit hard to listen to at first. It seems as though the band should stop trying to cover so many popular rap songs, because it just isn’t the same when it’s fully sung out. No, they don’t sound bad, but this is a terrible song choice; as are most of the songs on the worst covers list. The screaming in the song saved the cover a bit, as it was a more aggressive version of the rap where you don’t hear the verses word for word and instead as a collective part of the song.
1. “Who Let the Dogs Out” (2018)
In theory this is a smart idea… actually I have no idea why they chose this, but the final result was not what listeners were expecting or wanting to hear. It sounded like a rock version of the song that never should have happened. Baha Men sounded misplaced alongside Our Last Night’s sound, and overall, it unfortunately didn’t get too much better throughout the song. The screaming also just sounds like an angry small dog yelling at their owner.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IjFLU9AvUc&w=854&h=480]
Overall, Our Last Night have proven they are open to covering any genre of music and can usually do it well. They are continuing to grow their original sound as a band as well, releasing two albums this past year in the middle of releasing covers. Their first cover of 2020 may not have been their best work, but it shows that the band is still determined to show the world their best renditions.
What is your favorite Our Last Night Cover? Which one do you think is the worst? Let us know in the comments below!