Pierce the Veil Go ’90s with Radiohead, ‘Karma Police’ Cover
Pierce the Veil: Radiohead “Karma Police” cover – Author Charles Ken, Photo via Atom Splitter PR
Post-hardcore rockers Pierce the Veil have released a nostalgic Radiohead, “Karma Police” cover of the 1990s classic. As if we needed proof, it’s a sign that the 1990s are hot again. Not that they weren’t hot before. There’s something about the grunge and alternative rock of the 1990s that never went out of style. It’s not like the hair metal of the 1980s that we taboo for several years before becoming “cool” again.
Pierce the Veil Release Radiohead, ‘Karma Police’ Cover
Now, Radiohead is a difficult band to cover. They have such a unique sound, and nobody can really sound like Thom Yorke. But, San Diego’s Pierce the Veil were up to the challenge. They recorded a new cover of “Karma Police,” which you can listen to below, and thankfully, they didn’t ruin it. They didn’t totally change the sound or make it a metalcore track. They really stayed true to the original sound and style of the 1997 track, but adding some heavier guitars. Frontman Vic Fuentes also does a great job singing Yorke’s vocal parts without trying to sound like Yorke.
Pierce the Veil first recorded a “Karma Police” cover during a performance Australia’s Triple J radio station. It’s a regular at concerts, so it was time for the guys to release a proper cover of the song.
So, why Radiohead and a “Karma Police” cover? The guys of Pierce the Veil say this is the kind of music on which they were raised. Even though their music sounds nothing like Radiohead, the band has definitely served as an inspiration for their music.
“We are products of the 80s and 90s MTV era, so songs like ‘Karma Police’ live deep within our childhood minds,” Pierce the Veil said in a collective statement. “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.”
Pierce the Veil’s cover of “Karma Police” marks their first bit of new music since releasing their fifth studio album, “The Jaws of Life,” last year. The album debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 chart and scored the band the No. 1 alternative radio hit, “Emergency Contact.”
In other news, it’s shaping up to be a busy summer for Pierce the Veil, as the band will support Blink-182 on a North American tour. That trek will begin June 20 in Orlando, Florida, and continue through an Aug. 15 date in Toronto. They’re also going to play Lollapalooza in Chicago in early August.
Listen to Pierce the Veil’s cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police” below. I appreciate how the band made this cover their own without totally changing the sound and style of Radiohead. Not many bands could pull off this cover, but I think Pierce the Veil did a solid job. Maybe next, they’ll cover Nirvana or Soundgarden, because that’s something I would like to hear. Or, perhaps they’ll try doing Radiohead’s “Creep.”
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