White Bike has come back from their recording hiatus to treat us to an honest and gripping cover of The Postal Service’s “Nothing Better,” recorded for a new full-album cover of Give Up released on Turntable Kitchen.
The original tune was released in 2003 on the Postal Service’s one and only album Give Up. It has lyrics that detail the conversations you have during the downfall of a relationship. The male voice begging to be able to “make it right”, and the female voice insisting everything wasn’t quite how he remembered it. The Postal Service’s version has loads of clicky heartbeat-like percussion, unexpected chromatic strings, and video-game-ish synths to back up the heart-rending words.
White Bike’s version starts off with a similar-feeling vintage drum kit, paired with a clean guitar and a celestial-sounding round synth. As the vocalist enters with a light and pleasant timbre, the (musical) deal is sealed. Rather than feeling quirky and forsaken, “Nothing Better” sounds emotionally heavy in White Bike’s hands.
As we make our way to the second half of the song, harmonies and distortion aid the slow crescendo and emotions of regret. The quartet does the contrasting feelings of “Nothing Better” much justice. And as the closing words ‘Say goodbye’ are sung softly, you can’t help but feel nostalgic and melancholy.
For more great covers of The Postal Service, check out this link: https://www.covermesongs.com/tag/the-postal-service
