The A.M.s’ cover of “No Surprises” puts a spin on the classic Radiohead hit, making it all the more raw and melancholic in a wistful folk-rock rendition.
The duo, composed of Mariko Langan and Adrian Libertini, takes the original song’s troubled undertones and twists them into a reflection on yearning, whose magnitude and caliber surge forward and find new life in their heartfelt cover. For The A.M.s, reinventing a song whose themes touch on the bleak state of the world means putting their own stamp on it – replicating the folky, piano-and-bass arrangements of their original work, and the comforting, melancholic introspection they have become known for.
Yet, despite the song’s staggering sense of loneliness and alienation, this cover brings a veiled sense of hope, the reason the pair was drawn to the track in the first place. “Maybe, the more we explore the depths of our dark feelings, the more we appreciate the light. Or maybe we like feeling the ache of wistful sadness through music, or maybe it’s just a sublime song – but it’s probably all of the above,” they reflect – acknowledging the shared emotional complexity that the Radiohead track and their original work have in common. It is through this artistic connection and collaboration that the artists find themselves feeling less alone, and more trusting about the future.
The A.M.s is a testament to the awe-inspiring potential of making art together and enriching it with individual experiences and perspectives. Both Langan and Libertini, albeit in different ways, were “taken by the song’s melancholy beauty”, a withered display whose inevitable downfall is a source of both spectacle and reflection.
The cover is the first single they have released following their debut album Ignite The Sky, a thirteen-song meditation on searching for identity, family, and belonging, which has received praise from champions like The Big Takeover, American Songwriter, and The Alternate Root. Making music from a thousand miles away from one another, the pair finds meaning in the long-distance friendship and artistic collaboration, whose recounting of taxing experiences finds solace in their music’s warmth and introspective nature.
Coming together to reflect on their individual experiences, in “No Surprises” The A.M.s bring an observant, dreamy twist to the 90s alternative hit, finding themselves comfortable with the uncomfortable.
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