The members of Pierce the Veil were all in the midst of puberty when Radiohead’s “Karma Police” debuted on MTV’s 120 Minutes, and today they’ve unveiled a proper studio version of the OK Computer classic.
The 1997 cut has been a staple in their setlists since peforming the cover during a session for Australia’s triple j radio station this past December. The positive live response emboldened the post-hardcore crew to finally cut an official version, and they largely stayed faithful to the original, adding more distortion and emo vocals to the mix.
Read more: No alarms and no surprises: Radiohead unravel their 1997 landmark OK Computer
“We are products of the ’80s and ’90s MTV era, so songs like ‘Karma Police’ live deep within our childhood minds,” the band say. “We dug this one up as an opportunity to indulge in something comforting and familiar. Taking inspiration from the memories and emotions the song evokes in us, we created a version that reflects where we come from as a band. We were happy to discover that the song remained haunting and beautiful even when fed through distortion pedals and loud guitars.”
Listen to their cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police” below.
