As far as influential indie bands are concerned, Neutral Milk Hotel are often compared to any deity people view as untouchable. It’s as if their music is considered so great that the sheer thought of someone wanting to make it their own becomes sickening. This idea has never made sense to us at UTG, as the best covers are usually those created out of love and admiration for the original work. It takes great inspiration to make great art, and today we have a fantastic Neutral Milk Hotel cover to share that we know you’re going to love.

Wormburner are not a household name just yet, but after a successful 2014 things are shaping up quite nicely for the year ahead. Before we welcome January’s cold embrace, however, the band has partnered with UTG to share their version of “Holland, 1945.” The iconic track has been given something akin to a pop rock makeover, without losing the heart and creativity that made it so great in the first place. You can stream the song below:

When asked about their decision to cover this track, Wormburner frontman Hank Henry responded:

“We’ve loved Neutral Milk Hotel for years, and we finally got to see them play live this past summer in Brooklyn. ‘Holland, 1945’ is a song that especially resonates because it’s situated in World War II Europe, and the new Wormburner LP [Pleasant Living In Planned Communities] touches on some of that same subject matter. So it felt like a good choice to cover right now. It’s hard to beat the original recording by Neutral Milk Hotel, but we think we’ve put our own stamp on the song. It starts off like a dirge and then kicks in to a rippin’ punk song. Hopefully we’ve given it some new life.”

Wormburner are playing a holiday show in New York City later this evening. They go on stage tonight, December 18, around 9pm at the Mercury Lounge. Click here for more information.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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