When St. Vincent returned this spring to release her new album Daddy’s Home, it was dripping in references to the ’70s, both visually and sonically. For her new era, St. Vincent donned literal rose-tinted glasses and polyester blouses while her songs featured woozy sitars and referenced strung-out stars. But when asked to remix her Daddy’s Home single “Pay Your Way In Pain,” UK post-punk group Idles took things in a very different direction.
Idles’ version of “Pay Your Way In Pain” strips all the nostalgia and glamor from the song. Band member Mark Bowen transformed the track into a jazzy, soulful single into a harsh, industrial anthem. The new version features quick-tempoed beats, yelping vocal samples, and disorienting harmonies.
Speaking about taking the track in a new direction, Bowen explained:
“What I really enjoy about the Daddy’s Home album is using this camp energy in a really violent way. This embracing of the nostalgic even the kitsch but using it to make progressive futuristic music. It reminded me a lot of the energy of early house and techno but wrapped up in this early ’70s aesthetic. I wanted to ramp up the camp and the violence in the remix but still maintain the sentiments and sensibilities of the original track.”
Listen to Idles’ remix of St. Vincent’s “Pay Your Way In Pain” above and revisit our review of Daddy’s Home here.
