The BBC Live Lounge is perhaps better known as a veritable gold mine of musical brilliance. American pop punk band, All Time Low’s cover of Elastic Heart (originally by Sia) is no exception. Admittedly, this is not the kind of cover I would’ve expected of the band, but the fact it was so unprecedented almost made it more wonderful.
In all my scepticism, I was concerned how lead singer Alex Gaskarth’s voice would translate to Sia’s high, belting style, but it was adapted beautifully. The song was moulded spectacularly to really highlight Gaskarth’s voice, and guitarist Zack Merrick’s harmonies were brilliantly complimentary to the lead vocals.
Live Lounge performances, I’ve found, often give a much warmer and more intimate portrayal of songs. They feel less manufactured, and this cover complies with this completely. Only upon listening to this version did the truly gorgeous lyrics resonate, perhaps because I was more focused on the performance and less on Sia’s notoriously controversial music videos – though I must admit, I am one of the people who adore said videos.
This cover is a perfectly meshing blend of Sia’s signature lyrics and All Time Low’s pop punk style; it would be hard to find someone who won’t fall utterly in love with this performance.
Words by Lauryn Green