Angel Olsen has released a cover of Billy Idol’s 1984 ballad “Eyes Without a Face.”
Produced with Adam McDaniel, the cover takes a straightforward approach to the song, placing Olsen’s filtered voice against synths and bright guitar. “Eyes without a face, eyes without a face/Got no human grace, your eyes without a face,” she sings.
The song will be featured on Olsen’s upcoming Aisles EP, out this Friday, August 20th. The project sees her departing from her usual folk and country-influenced songwriting in favor of Eighties covers. Besides “Eyes Without a Face,” other tracks included on the EP are Laura Branigan’s “Gloria,” Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s “If You Leave,” Men Without Hats’ “Safety Dance,” and Alphaville’s “Forever Young.”
“I know it’s not really in my history to do something unintentional or just for the hell of it, but my connection to these songs is pretty straightforward,” Olsen said of the EP in a statement. “I just wanted to have a little fun and be a little more spontaneous, and I think I needed to remember that I could!”
Aisles will see a physical release on September 24th, which you can preorder here.
Earlier this month, Olsen joined Sharon Van Etten on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to perform an acoustic version of their single “Like I Used To.”
From Rolling Stone US