| ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"The Boys Of Summer" is the second digital EP by Bat For Lashes. It was released digitally on February 3, 2020. Two songs on the EP are included on her fifth studio album, Lost Girls, and one is from Two Suns (except the cover that gives the EP its name).
Background[]
On November 21, 2019, the first date of “The Lost Girls Tour,” Natasha made a cover of Don Henley's track. Months later, on January 31, 2020, Khan shared a string of photos that made up the cover of the EP, The Boys Of Summer, on her instagram.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Music and composition[]
Natasha shared a total of four songs to make up this little material, which is made up of different live versions of songs like "Daniel", "Desert Man", "The Hunger" and Don Henley's cover "The Boys Of Summer", song with the same title as the EP.
The material was recorded in November during Khan's last show at the Evolutionary Arts Hackney (EartH) theater in London. The songs that make up The Boys Of Summer are different from the original versions, more intimate, stripped back, soft and melancholic, leaving aside the rowdy elements that complemented them in their original version, however, they continue to have that mystical touch.
During this concert, the songwriter not only performed the cover of Don Henley's song, she also paid tribute to Cyndi Lauper when she performed the song "I Drove All Night", however, the song does not appear on the newly released EP.
Critical reception[]
The Stereogum opined:
“Khan’s interpretation of “The Boys Of Summer” is similarly sparse. Gone is the iconic drumbeat, and the song’s desert highway pulse. Instead, key melodic elements and synth parts are reproduced in an airy epilogue-type take on the song that amplifies the yearning and desperation of the track. While it would’ve been fun to hear a Bat For Lashes version that was as blown-out as the original, this iteration makes sense not just in the context of Khan’s EartH show but also the Lost Girls era — she renders it like a fading dream, drawing out beautiful aspects of the song you might not have known were there.”[11]
Covermesongs opined:
“Though she strips the song way down, her “Boys of Summer” cover maintains a strong ’80s vibe courtesy of those synths. But now instead of Henley’s upbeat pop-rocker, it’s the sort of ballad that might score a wistful ’80s-movie montage. The Boys Of Summer EP includes similarly stripped-down versions of three of her own songs: “Desert Man,” “Daniel,” and “The Hunger”.”[12]
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Boys Of Summer" | Don Henley, Mike Campbell | Natasha Khan, Laura Grooves | 04:28 | |
| 2. | "Desert Man (Piano Version)" | Khan, Jennifer Decilveo | Khan, Jennifer Decilveo | 04:06 | |
| 3. | "Daniel (Music Box Version)" | Khan | Khan, David Kosten | 04:42 | |
| 4. | "The Hunger (Organ Version)" | Khan, Charles Scott IV | Khan, Charles Scott IV | 05:07 | |
Total length: |
18:00 | ||||
References[]
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B7_Vj3Znfvm/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B7_oqp9n0pV/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8AIKa7n8fz/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ASszznYgo/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8BV0vLHHgn/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8CciQFnJDp/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8C3JwenMiD/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8EHHEVnaLq/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8EivAbn6yM/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8FKsZ2HFpC/
- ↑ https://www.stereogum.com/2072296/bat-for-lashes-boys-of-summer-live-don-henley/music/
- ↑ http://www.covermesongs.com/2020/02/bat-for-lashes-turns-boys-of-summer-into-a-sad-synthy-lament.html