Brisbane indie-pop faves Ball Park Music have a new, self-titled album out today. To celebrate, the band appeared on this morning’s triple j Like a Version from the Queensland University of Technology’s music studios, where they delivered their spin on Radiohead‘s OK Computer cut ‘Paranoid Android’.
Ball Park play it fairly safe for their rendition, staying faithful to the original. That said, it’s a complex song that’s pretty bloody difficult to cover tastefully – the fact they’re able to execute it with such finesse, from its snarling third verse to its sparse, ethereal bridge is pretty remarkable.
“To be honest, it’s a dream come true to finally do it. It felt like I was 15 again, back in my mate’s bedroom, discovering Radiohead,” says the band’s Sam Cromack in a separate video.
“We have this policy in the band where if we’re covering something we just start by playing it, almost just imitating the existing recording, and if we like it we sort of don’t change much. We’re not much into really brand new re-imaginings of songs, unless they naturally evolve,” the frontman explains.
“Yeah, the way that we individually play our instruments and our vibe changes how the song goes,” adds bassist Jen Boyce.
In addition to their cover, BPM also performed new album highlight ‘Cherub’, a song that’s just as tender and affecting live as its studio version, if not more.
Watch both performances below.
