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Watch Alt-J Pour Their Hearts Into Disclosure’s ‘Latch’

Alt-J Cover Latch Disclosure Video BBC Radio 1

English indie-rock experimentalists Alt-J tried their hand at covering one of their contemporaries on Monday with a haunting cover of Disclosure’s “Latch” on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge.

The song was a pretty natural choice for the “Left Hand Free” band, as they share a lot of the same electronic sensibilities as Disclosure, but Alt-J owned the song and the final sound was totally, unmistakably theirs. The trio stripped “Latch” down quite a bit and the result was something layered and ethereal, maintaining most of the underlying tension that their own songs possess. Frontman Joe Newman’s distinctive, quavering voice proved to be a fine alternative to Sam Smith’s sublime vocals.

The group’s appearance on Fearne Cotton’s show came one day after their second album, This Is All Yours, topped the U.K.’s albums chart. Alt-J will continue their world tour with a perfomance in Paris tonight, before they head off to Australia in October. Maybe they’ll surprise crowds with this new cover. Watch above.