Alt-rock veterans Better Than Ezra made a surprise return to the cover scene with their reinterpretation of rising star Role Model’s “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” The New Orleans-based band is known for their 1990s hits like “Good” and “Desperately Wanting.” Role Model (aka Tucker Pillsbury) originally released “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” in 2022, painting a portrait of emotional codependency in a romance.
Better than Ezra took on this melancholic pop track, twisting it with a mature, soulful edge. The original is an intimate, understated, and synth-laced bedroom pop ballad. It is built on restraint and quiet anguish. The cover, by contrast, approaches the song with a richer sonic palette, opting for warm guitars, live drums, and lush vocal harmonies. The result is a cover that feels more expansive and organic without losing the intimacy that makes the original resonate with so many.
The cover opens gently, staying close to the original’s somber tone. Subtle additions, including electric piano flourishes, brushed percussion, and atmospheric reverb, flesh out the song’s emotional landscape. Kevin Griffin’s vocals, always an expressive blend of warmth and ache, give the lyrics a seasoned weariness that feels earned. Better Than Ezra doesn’t attempt to modernize the song or radically reshape it. They instead translate the song into their own language. It’s slower, earthier, almost like a bar band closing out the night with a song that everyone in the room will quietly relate to. The cover emphasizes the soul of the track, even sprinkling in a touch of gospel influence in the backing vocals during the final chorus.
“Sally, When the Wine Runs Out” fits surprisingly well within Better Than Ezra’s broader catalogue. Though they rose to fame in the alternative rock boom of the ’90s, their later work has often embraced elements of soul, Americana, and indie pop. This cover feels like a natural extension of that evolution. It proves they are not just revisiting the past but actively engaging with the present.
