Chicago indie rock bands Better Love & Old Sol teamed up to drop a split EP, released on November 5th, 2019. Taking a second glance at songs we are already familiar with, this EP features new interpretations of tracks by both bands, as well as new song by Old Sol.
Better Love vocalist/guitarist Brad Harvey stated, “It’s really interesting to hear the different ways a song can take form, and it was a really cool chance to not only see how one of our own songs could be re-shaped but to take a song we really only knew at its surface and be able to dig into it.” Having been friends for so long, there was no one better to reimagine these songs than each other.
I really loved this EP a lot. Though I was unfamiliar with Old Sol before listening to these songs, but I was thoroughly impressed.
The EP starts with an alternate version of the track “Heartbeat” by Better Love. They took this reimagined version in a very different direction than the original, slowing it down significantly and showing a different side to Better Love. We are used to hearing a more fun upbeat the band, and it was interesting to listen to the track more laid back.
This track is followed by Better Love’s cover of Old Sol’s track “Sir Loin The Steak.” I went back and listened to the original version of the song, and I really like both. I really like how on this interpretation, they didn’t take it too far off from the original version, but still had a lot of their own unique flair to it.
Up next comes a brand new track by Old Sol titled “Echo.” I absolutely loved this track; it’s a song people can relate to lyrically, and it’s fun to listen to.
The EP closes out with Old Sol covering a Better Love track titled “Rosalyn.” “Rosalyn” is one of my favorite Better Love songs, so I was really interested to hear how this cover turned out, and I was not disappointed one bit. The change of it being on acoustic guitar and still having a softer beat when the percussion came in was something I absolutely loved, I am always a massive fan of stripped-down tracks.
You can stream the split EP below.
