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It was a long 2025. I say that, of course, from behind a laptop screen and atop a throne of privilege that’s not lost on me. But nonetheless, it was a long year. So much so that I really didn’t think this list would come together. And between you, me, and the wall, I’m shocked any of the MGRM lists are going to come together. But I guess that’s just what 10 years of the magazine will do to you.
We persist. As does the Top Cover Songs of the Year list.
It felt like the first year in several that the number one song was somehow a foregone conclusion—among the most discussed, celebrated, and eventually hated ones of the year by two ascending indie rock voices. And I’m not talking about Geese’s lightning-rod cover of New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give,” which itself deserves 1000 words that will come in a different essay on this site by yours truly soon enough. That song isn’t on the list of 50 51 covers you’ll see below. But I hope what is below will bring you a light amount of reprieve and joy at the end of what was among the more demoralizing and exhausting years for anyone and everyone I know.
But first, a quick overview of how the list is made. I don’t include live recordings from cell phones and the like, only those that are “officially” released and professionally recorded in some way (or featuring soundboard audio). Anything that isn’t freely accessible online isn’t considered — i.e., nothing behind a paywall (see: Amazon or a lot of excellent Bandcamp charity compilations). And, of course, sound off, I suppose, in the comments with your favorite cover of the year (or yell at me about the list, but I promise I won’t be seeing it). Have a happy holidays, and to a better 2026!
Bonus 51.”Suspicious Minds” (Elvis Presley Cover) by Robber Robber
This could have gone in the honorable mentions but fuck it, this is my column! Robber Robber’s cover of Elvis’s “Suspicious Minds” didn’t drop until December 17th, about a week after this list had been filed. But I want to make special mention of it because I think it would have comfortably made this list had it come out earlier; The Burlington, Vermont rockers are a band I keep waiting to unlock more fully for me—I liked their 2024 album WILD GUESS, but knowing all of the friends I have who love the band, I thought it would be one that grabbed me more. That seems to be a me problem. But damn, this cover of “Suspicious Minds” may be the thing that pushes me in further—a freeflowing, fuzzy garage take that never even attempts to capture the kind of regal, theatrical pop performance of the original and instead goes head down with the volume up to 11. It felt important to throw it here at the top, as I assume the band are gearing up for a big 2026.
Listen: YouTube
50. “B.O.B.” / “Hey Ya!” (Outkast Covers) by Tyler, the Creator and Janelle Monaé
The Janelle Monaé portion of Outkast’s Rock Hall introduction is perfectly fine, but watching Tyler, the Creator do “B.O.B.” is absolutely electric—not just because you so rarely see Tyler rap like that these days, but because it’s done so with the exuberance of a kid in a candy store. The live component amps everything up; there’s no denying Outkast are some of the best to ever do it, but as he has often done over the years at Camp Flog Gnaw, Tyler reveals himself to first and foremost be a student of the masters and a fanboy of music. You can feel that in the performance: first it’s cute, then it’s mesmerizing.
Listen: YouTube
49. “Werewolves of London” (Warren Zevon Cover) by Jesika von Rabbit
Sliding this in at the back part of the list for a few reasons. First is to shout out Jesika von Rabbit’s 2025 record BUNNYWOOD BABYLON, a zany collection of fun pop songs—among the best Los Angeles albums released all year from an artist who’s been around for a minute. The other is to highlight her take on “Werewolves of London.” That, along with a cover of “Season of the Witch,” were a pair of contributions to Halloween playlists this season, and they’re both straight-ahead, if slightly bugged-out, renditions that deserve some love come every October—I’m bad at highlighting holiday covers on this list, as I often find it counter to the exercise at hand, but consider this a flagging of some non-Christmas spooky season treats from one of LA’s most exciting staples.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
48. “Sometimes” (My Bloody Valentine Cover) by SPELLLING
SPELLLING close out their 2025 album PORTRAIT OF MY HEART with a vocal-forward version of MBV’s “Sometimes.” It’s nowhere near as loud and enveloping as the original, but the pounding, mechanical underbelly is somehow equally hypnotic. It acts as a kind of dispatch from the far reaches of space, and will make you wonder how on earth “Sometimes” didn’t close out LOVELESS back in ‘91.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
47. “For The First Time” (Mac DeMarco Cover) by the Sophs
For my money, “For The First Time” was probably the last great Mac DeMarco song—a natural, kaleidoscopic evolution of “Chamber of Reflection,” a track that has somehow eclipsed one billion plays on Spotify. I like what Rough Trade enlisted the Sophs to do with the song, because upping the tempo and throwing some grime on it makes it sound like ROOM ON FIRE-era the Strokes. And while this Los Angeles band’s whole thing seems to be mimicking that era of early 2000s indie rock, I think it’s important to note that even DeMarco’s lyrics and progression add to the feeling that this version is a Cassablancas and Hammond Jr. production. It is derivative in the abstract, but quite fun in reality.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
46. “I Don’t Want To Get Over You” (The Magnetic Fields Cover) by Superchunk
The thing about 69 LOVE SONGS staple “I Don’t Want To Get Over You” is that, even though it’s this perfectly condensed, wiry art pop song, it also weirdly works as a grungy pop punk song. This is a working philosophy Mac McCaughan has applied to the songbook of the Magnetic Fields for years—if Setlist.fm is to be believed, they first covered “10,000 Fireflies” back in 1992, and he’s basically had a Stephin Merritt-penned song somewhere in rotation either in Superchunk or in solo projects his whole career. As far as “I Don’t Want To Get Over You” is concerned, it finally has a glossy studio version. Coming in at a tight 1:42 seconds, it kicks a remarkable amount of ass, making sunshine out of rain. Here’s to another 33 years of Magnetic Fields covers to come from the ‘Chunk.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
45. “Sex & Death” (Motörhead Cover) by Rancid
You’d be forgiven for not knowing “Sex & Death” by Motörhead. It comes from their 12th studio album, SACRIFICE, and the track was written in “10 minutes on the last day of recording,” if Wikipedia is to be believed. There are more famous songs on KILLED BY DEAF, a tribute to the hard rock pioneer—Pennywise doing “Ace of Spades,” Lagwagon doing “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” even Fear doing “The Chase Is Better Than the Catch.” But I kinda love Rancid ripping into a Motörhead song that the average fan has probably never heard. It’s got a sufficient amount of, “Oi! Fuck you” to it, as most latter-day Rancid tends to, but it’s a fitting send-up. Lars Frederiksen noted that Lemmy’s love of the Ramones felt reflective in the original, and I think that connection is made clear with Rancid’s circle pit-ready cut.
44. “Someone Who Cares” (The Only Ones Cover) by Heavenly
On the one hand, I just think the Only Ones are extremely underrated, and I’ll take any chance to write about them if I can. Their earliest stuff sounded like the Kinks with more teeth, and they’d grow to perfect a cool, outlandish new wave and power pop sound—if you work for a big, powerful label out there, you should reissue those three records. The word “underrated” could be used for Heavenly as well—in addition to re-issuing their 1996 album OPERATION HEAVENLY for the first time this year, they also dropped a single of “Someone Who Cares,” giving it a C86 makeover with calming coos and twinkling guitar. It’s a great rendition and, if it does nothing else for you, it’s a reason to go listen to both bands’ (relatively limited) discographies!
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
43. “I Said What I Said” (The Softies Cover) by Pure Bathing Culture
This year, Father/Daughter Records turned 15. To celebrate, they invited various artists from across their roster, past and present, to cover each other. It’s a quick, seven-song record that features Mia June, Lisa Prank, mui zyu, among others. It feels uniquely F/D—about all you could ask for if you’ve followed the label at all over the years. My favorite was Pure Bathing Culture covering the Softies’ “I Said What I Said,” from their 2024 album THE BED I MADE. An already fanciful piece of songwriting unfurls into this ecstasy-laden sophisti-pop journey; it’s both a subdued and jangly update.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
42. “Lotta Love” (Neil Young Cover) by Courtney Barnett
It’s a Steven Hyden-ass thought to type out, but seeing the way “Lotta Love” has evolved into one of the most important Neil Young songs for a younger generation feels like a clear sign of the times. The Helado Negro and Flock of Dimes version of the song topped my 2020 list, but in the five years since publishing that I’ve seen countless artists cover it (including MJ Lenderman). Here, we have Courtney Barnett contributing a version for a compilation entitled HEART OF GOLD: THE SONGS OF NEIL YOUNG, VOL. 1. Barnett’s plainspoken, approachable delivery has grown to have more melody within it, even a sweetness that seemed detached in her early material. Her reflective, loving, cooing take on “Lotta Love”—a track that requires a sensitive approach to actually work in general—feels like the final form of a vocal evolution that began in earnest back on 2021’s THINGS TAKE TIME, TAKE TIME.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
41. “Look At Miss Ohio” (Gillian Welch Cover)” by King Hannah
Last year, King Hannah’s cover of “Like A Prayer” reached number four on this list. Hannah Merrick’s voice can just absolutely transform any song, and with previous covers of Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, that was certainly the case. With the cutting “Look At Miss Ohio,” her delivery is, while darker and more intense, a fascinatingly complementary match with early 2000s Gillian Welch. That arid, sparse, slow-motion gallop they build into by the end is quietly cinematic in ways that only King Hannah can tap into, trading Welch’s aching country tone for bleak, gripping rock. Both find a beauty to the lonesome chaos of Miss Ohio in different ways.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
40. “Gold Soundz” (Pavement Cover) by Soccer Mommy
I gushed not too long ago about Soccer Mommy’s cover of “Here,” and this year she’s pulled out a similar-sounding version of “Gold Soundz.” for triple j. Much like “Here,” she softens Pavement’s edges, bringing a dazzling (if static) bedroom pop sheen to the original’s bolder slacker rock sound. As was true with her first dalliance with the legacy ‘90s band, just hearing Sophie Allison’s vocals slow down Malkmus’s delivery is a real treat. With that in mind, might I suggest she do “You Are a Light” next?
39. “All Day and All of the Night” (The Kinks Cover) by Perennial
Perennial, who describe themselves as a “mod-punk trio,” have a penchant for exploring the intersection of modern indie rock and ‘60s British invasion. The Kinks are, naturally, the most fitting band at that intersection, and “All Day and All of the Night” is the perfect song for them to cover. Cuts from their breakthrough sophomore album ART HISTORY, like “Up-tight” or “The Mystery Tone,” are already borrowing from a lot of the scuzzy, proto-punk energy of the Kinks anyhow, and that same sound transfers well here—even if there’s a bit of extra-whiny English tossed on the vocal delivery of those choruses. Their whole EP PERENNIAL ‘65 is emulating the same ideas and is worthy of a check-out as well!
38. “Waves of Fear” (Lou Reed Cover) by Pissed Jeans
The shaking, cold-sweat guitar playing on “Waves of Fear” is pretty fitting for a track about overcoming addiction. It’s one of the most musically compelling tracks on Lou Reed’s THE BLUE MASK, and his performance on it also bucks his often steady image—he’s manic, paranoid, and intense. The weak-kneed guitar playing and bug-eyed delivery may be fuzzier and angrier in Pissed Jeans’ version, but it translates. The band unhinge their jaws and swallow Reed’s poison pill, and the results are, well, very Pissed Jeans-y.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
37. “Anemone” (Brian Jonestown Massacre Cover) by the Backlash
I don’t know much about Milan indie rockers the Backlash. I think it’s an interesting experiment to double down on Brian Jonestown Massacre and recreate “Anemone” as if it was released on their debut METHODRONE. Stretched out with even heavier, druggier guitar tones, the sonic reframing as a denser shoegaze song is a compelling one—it’s not a million miles from the original, but it’s a fun flip.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
36. “Breathe” (The Cure Cover) by J Mascis
“Breathe” isn’t an obvious choice to cover, especially by solo, acoustic-wielding J Mascis. Initially released as a B-side to “Catch,” it’s one of the rare songs from this period of the Cure where Robert Smith’s vocal performance is secondary to the airy, meandering production. Smith sounds intentionally lost within the band’s cloudy, dreamlike sanctuary. It’s an absolutely beautiful song—next to “One More Time,” perhaps the prettiest and most lethargic song from the KISS ME, KISS ME, KISS ME sessions. Mascis obviously can’t recreate that production, nor does he even really attempt to. There’s plenty of divine guitar noodling between the verses here, acting as something of a fill-in for the missing misty atmosphere, but by focusing it back on Smith’s words, this cover brings to light lyrics that were initially pushed to the background anyhow. It may not hit as immediately hard as his recent Mazzy Star or Tom Petty covers, but it does the trick.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
35. “Disintegrate” (Wild Pink Cover) by Fenne Lily
We’re of course a bit biased when it comes to all things Wild Pink over here, anointing DULLING THE HORNS the number one album of 2024 and John Ross headlining our anniversary party in the summer. It should be no surprise that Fenne Lily’s cooing version of “Disintegrate” shows up here. Ross does offer backup vocals, but Lily’s beautiful, weary vocals and the quiet build take obvious lead if you’ve ever heard her previous work. Not only does it unlock a tenderness to Ross’s songwriting that often gets overshadowed by how powerful-sounding and intricate the band and production can be on record, but it recalls some of Lily’s best songs as well.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
34. “Cause = Time” (Broken Social Scene Cover) by Middle Kids
Plenty of songs on ANTHEMS: A CELEBRATION OF BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE’S YOU FORGOT IT IN PEOPLE could have been included on this list. I find myself continuing to return to Middle Kids’ “Cause = Time” because it captures the original’s live-or-die desperation with a uniquely sweet tone. There’s a snide holdover cynicism that makes the original feel so urgent—a malaised “fuck ‘em” with every, “They all want to love the cause.” Middle Kids don’t bring that energy to it though. To them, maybe they all do really want to love the cause.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
33. “Bridges and Balloons” (Joanna Newsom Cover) by Sweet Nobody
You probably could’ve guessed that Sweet Nobody’s cover of Joanna Newsom’s “Bridges and Balloons” sounds markedly different from the original—after all, the great Los Angeles indie pop band doesn’t have a harpist and, well, no one really sounds ~like that~ other than Newsom. Nonetheless, THE MILK-EYED MENDER opener is just about as cutting and beautiful a song as she has in that remarkable catalog—all the more impressive given it was many people’s introduction to her. Sweet Nobody tackled three different Newsom tracks for their EP SWEET NOBODY PLAYS THE SONGS OF JOANNA NEWSOM, each excellent in their own way. But the surfy SoCal sun reveals a pop brilliance flowing beneath the original—the melancholy remains, and the playfulness of Newsom’s voice translates perfectly to Joy Deyo’s amped up performance. It goes without saying that any Joanna Newsom cover has a high degree of difficulty to it, but Sweet Nobody really brilliantly makes this one all their own.
Listen: Bandcamp
32. “I’m Eighteen” (Alice Cooper Cover) by Sex Mex
I simply love Clark Gray’s acidy cries on “I’m Eighteen.” The San Antonio, TX one-man band, who records under the moniker Sex Mex, is just like a Gen Z art pop version of Joe Buck Yourself, down to the middling pun. “I’m Eighteen” isn’t overtly representative of what the project sounds like, which probably fits closer to a garage pop Burger Records sound than this grizzled, glammy, grimy version of the Alice Cooper classic. But the cover rips—it’s explosive in all the right ways and even finds a way to inadvertently tie the early rock ‘n’ roll sound to Cooper’s latter-day horror imagery. Most of the covers on Sex Mex’s Bandcamp exclusive STUFF I COVERED (2024-2025) rip in different ways, and it’s worth a quick look! On the opposite side of the sonic spectrum, give his take on Ween’s heliumed-out “The Stallion (Pt. 3)” a go.
Listen: Bandcamp
31. “Night Fever” (Bee Gees Cover) by Jonathan Richman
The acoustic anxiety of latter-day Jonathan Richman music is pretty accurately summed up in his cover of the Bee Gees “Night Fever.” This off-kilter, percussion-heavy rendition of a nearly 50-year-old disco classic is at once maddening, unsettling, and intoxicating—he intentionally misses a more straightforward, stripped-back version of the original, choosing to mess around with the vocal delivery of the choruses and forcing an up-and-down samba groove, creating something uniquely Jonathan Richman in the process. If you haven’t checked in on him since the mid ‘90s, this Bee Gees thesis should sum up the kind of thrilling, uneasy acoustic music he makes these days.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
30. “Temptation Inside Your Heart” (The Velvet Underground Cover) by Thurston Moore
To whatever degree you can make something that’s a marked improvement on a Velvet Underground song, Thurston Moore doing “Temptation Inside Your Heart” is that. The original was a studio throwaway that was only later released as a rarity on a deluxe compilation in the mid ‘80s, and features the band talking through the recording. There is, I’m proud to report, no talking over Moore’s, which begins as a heavy-set but faithful version of the song before spiraling into a calculated no wave send-up that is distinctly Thurston Moore, distinctly New York, and a fascinating nod to the band that spawned a thousand other bands.
29. “Toxic” (Britney Spears Cover) by Franz Ferdinand
I’m admittedly a sucker for Alex Kapranos’s voice. His booming lower register turns any of the blitzing dance punk-ish arena rock covers they’ve attempted over their careers pop (see: “All My Friends,” “Call Me,” their cover of “Good Luck Babe,” which came right as this list was being finalized last year but is absolutely worth a listen). Franz Ferdinand, with a full orchestra no less, tackled Britney Spears this year and it needs very little description—Kapranos’s prowess as a frontman in this video recorded for the BBC’s Radio 2 Piano Room is just a true delight, and the music itself is true studio wizardry, capturing the huge, glossy production brought to the original Top 40 smash hit, but live in the room.
Listen: YouTube
28. “I Want to Know What Love Is” (Foreigner Cover) by Ben Bridwell and Iron & Wine
On MAKING GOOD TIME, Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses teams up with Sam Beam of Iron & Wine and the two do just that, covering the likes of U2, Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Roxy Music, and boygenius. The production across the EP elevates it beyond “coffee shop acoustic cover set,” but Bridwell and Beam’s reputations naturally precede them and those vocal harmonies settle in. While it’s a coin flip between the twinkling, sultry take on Roxy Music’s “More Than This” and the trumpet-assisted rendition of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is,” I’m going to lean towards the latter, as it’s a great reminder that stripping the core components of a song down to something simple can reveal new layers to it; one of the defining power ballads of the ‘80s, defined by its clean, schmaltzy production, becomes haunting, even longing, here. The EP is extremely earnest, perhaps to a fault as you can guess with the tracklisting, but I had fun with this one.
27. “These Days” (Jackson Browne / Nico Cover) by Emily Hines
I wrote about Emily Hines’ excellent debut THESE DAYS earlier this year. Fittingly, she took the title to heart and released a wonderfully heartbreaking version of the classic song with which it shares a name. Like the album, it’s soft-spoken and touching—perhaps closer to the slow march of the Jackson Browne original than the devastating singularity of Nico’s. Hines’s voice shines here on a cover that is frankly so much more musically involved and intricate than it even needs to be given what a perfect fit she is with the track; something simpler with just guitar and vocals would’ve more than sufficed, but the quiet, rocking build to it is fit for AM radios everywhere. If the cover intrigues you in any way, give the album a spin.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
26. “Unknown Legend” (Neil Young Cover) by Lukas Nelson, Sierra Ferrell, and The Travelin’ McCourys
I know we all call him Uncle Neil, but for Lukas Nelson, is Neil Young not actually his uncle? Surely he’s known him since he was a baby, right? Nelson has spent parts of the last decade backing up Young with the Promise of the Real, and that pleasantly informed my thoughts on this cover of his ‘90s hit “Unknown Legend.” It is a full-on pickalong bluegrass take featuring Sierra Ferrell and the Travelin’ McCourys. It taps into an era where a burgeoning NPR-approved bluegrass scene was covering things ad nauseum. Nelson and Ferrell’s vocals are zippy by comparison to Young’s loving howls, and the whole send-up still has a kind of refreshing major label polish. As referenced earlier, there were obviously tons of Neil Young covers this year, as there are every year, but this one tickled me more than any other.
25. “Just Be Simple” (Songs: Ohia Cover) by MJ Lenderman
This is a boring pick made by arguably a very boring man. But to me, it’s best to apply Occam’s razor to I WILL SWIM TO YOU: A TRIBUTE TO JASON MOLINA, and in that case it’s current “it” boy MJ Lenderman covering “Just Be Simple.” You don’t have to think about it too much to hear it in your mind’s eye. That is true for the best cuts on the album—Hand Habits doing “Lioness,” Trace Mountains doing “The Dark Don’t Hide It.” Hearing Lenderman tapping into an obvious influence with his lazy North Carolina lilt pays obvious yet huge dividends.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
24. “Wild Horses” (The Rolling Stones Cover) by Hudson Freeman
This is probably the cover I’ve listened to the most on this list, and I still have no idea how to describe it—I put it up here at number 24, but maybe it should be number one. “Wild Horses” isn’t just the best Stones song, it’s one of the best songs ever. What Freeman does with it is a mix of blasphemy and genius—a slapdash, lo-fi folk version that is melting away at the edges; it’s modern-sounding and country fried in ways that I don’t think “Wild Horses” was meant to sound, yet it’s graphic in ways I keep thinking about. The melancholy that stemmed from Jagger’s forlorn cries dissolves into the cover’s knotty, circular rhythms, the noise rock bridges and slacker DIY tone timeless in a different way. I think it has to be heard to be loved or hated.
23. “Kissing The Lipless” (The Shins Cover) by Virginity
Not a lot of indie bands are out here taking on the Shins in 2025, so when one does, your ears immediately perk. Virginity are a Daytona Beach punk-y power pop act whose songs sound like a snottier Superchunk. That sound perfectly molds their take on the CHUTES TOO NARROW opener “Kissing the Lipless.” There are so many songs across the Shins’ early catalog that actually rock, but I think a certain kind of twee whimsy and 2000s indie pop mysticism make you forget that fact. It’s certainly not lost on Virginity, who ratchet up the guitars and beat the Hell out of that drum kit to convert the song to a proper emo-twinged belter.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
22. “Sad Beautiful World” (Sparklehorse Cover) by Mavis Staples
The sentiment that it’s a sad and beautiful world is perhaps truer three decades later than it was back on VIVADIXIESUBMARINETRANSMISSIONPLOT. Mark Linkous’s aching, lo-fi ballad somehow finds a world-weary optimism; written when he was roughly 33, like much of Sparklehorse’s uniquely internalized discography, it captures a remarkable amount of life lived in a short amount of time. When Mavis Staples brings her 86 years of wisdom to the song, a fascinating transformation occurs—a kind of harmonious peace and ascension happens in real time. Staples’s voice carries a weight to it, and like any cover she’s attempted in her later years, it immediately lends a remarkable gravity and power. The sparseness of the original transcends, with the warm, hazy pedal steel and calming production amplifying a rare musical emotion we could all use more of these days: hope.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
21. “First Girl I Loved” (The Incredible String Band) by Fruit Bats
I wish a camera had been filming when I realized what song was being covered on the Fruit Bats’ 2025 album BABY MAN (it was something like this .gif of Brad Pitt in MONEYBALL). At one time considered an essential fixture of the ‘60s psych-folk scene that have since fallen out of the modern zeitgeist, you don’t see the Incredible String Band’s name often thrown around anymore. 15 years ago, THE 5000 SPIRITS OR THE LAYERS OF THE ONION was an album tossed around as “important” in online circles. Even though it’s totally within the project’s sonic range to capture the stringy, prismatic production of the original, Fruit Bats strip back “First Girl I Loved” into a slowed piano ballad and it totally works; honing in Robin Williamson’s underrated lyricism and removing its Scottish psych-folk howl gives it a remarkable vulnerability that works brilliantly as a song, but also in the context of BABY MAN. Many won’t notice it as a cover, but hearing it out of the blue was a genuine thrill.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
20. “I See A Darkness” (Bonnie “Prince” Billy Cover) by Anna Calvi and Perfume Genius
An immediate part of the American songbook from the moment Johnny Cash covered it, “I See A Darkness” has an interesting history. The original, from 1998’s album of the same name, stares boldly into the void, capturing a reckoning that clearly everyone from Merce Lemon to ROSALÍA to the Man in Black were attracted to. But when Will Oldham re-recorded the song 15 years later, it had a hopeful uptick to the production—a quiet, optimistic stomp that seems to reject the void entirely. That rendition seems to speak to where Oldham is these days, which is a beautiful update. The attraction to Anna Calvi and Perfume Genius’s rendition from this year is its striking balance between the dark and the light, a duet that by its close has quietly ascended to acceptance in ways that most other covers—and even the original—musically do not. Calvi and Mike Hadreas’s vocals flow together like waves crashing, waxing and waning until the harmonies collide in brilliant fashion.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
19. “In Dreams” (Roy Orbison Cover) by Brigid Mae Power
Thousands of words could be written about the dreamy warble in Brigid Mae Power’s voice. The Irish singer-songwriter released a covers collection entitled SONGS FOR YOU at the start of the year that included songs by Tom Verlaine, Neil Young, and others. The whole collection captures an arid beauty that radiates through her original work, but I’ll single out “In Dreams,” perhaps the most immediately recognizable track on the album. Power’s stunning vocals and the dazed production amplify the jukebox rockabilly undercurrent of the original, effectively BLUE VELVET-ing Roy Orbison in a new modern context. The whole album brings that kind of energy to each song, but with “In Dreams” it unlocks something distant yet familiar.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
18. “Come Together” (The Beatles Cover) by Snõõper
Nestled at the end of their exciting 2025 sophomore album WORLDWIDE, Snõõper deliver a dizzying, 91-second art punk take on The Beatles’ “Come Together.” It hits somewhere between Gang of Four and DEVO. To that I say what the Hell, fuck yeah.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
17. “If It Makes You Happy” (Sheryl Crow Cover) by Skegss
A song that will likely get an inclusion on this list any time anyone covers it, “If It Makes You Happy” is radio rock perfection in any form. For their triple j Like A Version, surf rockers Skegss put a refreshing uptick of energy into their rendition—we’ve seen plenty of indie artists, from Mo Troper to Dick Stusso, lean into the fuzzy melancholy of Sheryl Crow’s original before, but big gang vocals on the chorus give a slight party energy to a song that’s often so singular and lonely by design. Ben Reed’s vocal delivery of the verses is just fun, loose, strung-out stuff. Give me all of that that ya got.
17. “If I Had a Boat” (Lyle Lovett Cover) by Kieran Hebden and William Tyler
Did you know that Lyle Lovett was married to Julia Roberts in the early ‘90s?
Sorry, I didn’t know where else I could fit that random fact in. I won’t lie to you: Like Bruce Cockburn or John Hiatt or Peter Wolf’s solo work, the bluesy, spiritually Canadian work of Lyle Lovett is not in my regular rotation. “If I Had a Boat” makes me want to listen to Jackson C. Frank’s “Blues Run the Game” instead. But I appreciate the long, looping, ambient interpretation William Tyler and Kieran Hebden give it on their wonderful collaborative record 41 LONGFIELD STREET LATE ‘80s. Like much of that album, it’s nostalgically pulling from a spiritual idea of ‘80s folk music—a work of hazy interpretation that’s essence is pure and hypnotizing, far more than the actual genre and time it’s celebrating.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
15. “Girl, so confusing [Remix feat. Lorde]” (Charli XCX Cover) by Hinds
It was admittedly a little shocking to me that BRAT Summer didn’t really successfully translate over to the covers world—perhaps the sparse, steely electropop on that album had a steep difficulty to it. But the ever-consistent Spanish indie pop duo Hinds take the Lorde-assisted remix of “Girl, so confusing” and accidentally create Wet Leg in the aggregate. Toss a full-bodied guitar tone on it and Hinds’ often unwaveringly over-the-top vocals and you have some combustible-sounding radio rock, with ideas that work especially well due to how modern the approximation to current “indie” trends is against Charli’s songwriting.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
14. “Million Dollar Riff” (Skyhooks Cover) by ELVIS 2
ELIVS 2’s THANK YOU VERY MUCH is one of my favorite releases of the year—a madcap, wigged-out garage rock record. Their cover of Skyhooks’ “Million Dollar Riff” would easily go unnoticed on the tracklisting, if for no other reason than the band never really crossed over into America. Contemporaries of AC/DC and the Saints but without the commercial or cultural impact of either in the US, Skyhooks’ glammy hard rock single is the kind of track you’re shocked hasn’t had a major sync or social media moment to make it a retrospective hit. Through a layer of muck and grime, ELVIS 2 take the original’s post-modern fusion of varied classic rock sounds and warp it into a discernable version of modern psych and garage rock that would make John Dwyer smile. Throw up your devil horns.
13. “Bad Company” (Bad Company Cover) by Charley Crockett
The theoretically appealing thing about a “Bad Company” cover is that the original version is surprisingly bare bones. Perhaps a staple of a former regime of classic rock radio that’s now lost mainstream recognition, the band’s titular single is smoldering blues rock that gets by on street-strutting coolness—more so than the era-appropriate big dick guitar rock of their most-known single “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” Charley Crockett comes in and is able to fully morph “Bad Company” into an arena-sized country tune with relatively little ease. From his earliest work all the way to this cover, Crockett’s personality and vocal delivery has always felt influenced by Paul Rodgers, channeling a type of singular coolness that can be wielded in big and small moments. Certainly here he offers a perfect, weighty tribute to the British icons.
12. “I’ll Be Seeing You” (Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal Cover) by Mister Romantic (John C. Reilly)
WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE, John C. Reilly’s debut full-length as a recording artist, is a stunning collection of lounge covers from the Great American Songbook, including songs by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Tom Waits, Irving Berlin, and more. And if we let Rod Stewart release similar records for like a decade there in the 2000s, then we should let John C. Reilly put out a Mister Romantic album once every year or two as well. The whole thing is an understated send-up of a bygone era of crooning and vaudevillian performance, both a nice entry point if you’ve never heard, say, “I’ll Be Seeing You” before, but also a wonderfully produced collection of songs that errs on quiet and calm. I could listen to just about anyone tackle Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal’s timeless classic, but Reilly’s voice singing it is comforting hand-in-glove stuff.
11. “You Found Me” (The Fray Cover) by Waxahatchee and Kevin Morby
It’s no “Over My Head (Cable Car),” but “You Found Me” is a respectable-enough hit from the Fray. As she was tasked to do for GIRLS, Katie Crutchfield comes to Lena Dunham’s aid with a cover, this time with husband Kevin Morby for Netflix’s decent one-and-done limited series TOO MUCH. Like Crutchfield’s best work, the line between joke and sincerity is simply overpowered by the latter—a pop hit re-spun to be a brilliant work of both tearful nostalgia and fictional inside joke. Between this and a running joke in the remarkably underdiscussed comedy SPLITSVILLE, the Fray are having a big year in the indie world.
10. “What’s Going On” (Marvin Gaye Cover) by Beverly Glenn-Copeland
Pioneering Canadian new age and electronic musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland has settled into a different musical sphere in recent years. 2023’s THE ONES AHEAD and the upcoming 2026 album LAUGHTER IN SUMMER serve as foggy singer-songwriter retrospectives on a topsy-turvy life. In that sense, “What’s Going On” is the perfect track for him to cover—it’s somehow both wide-eyed and childlike yet world-weary, the vocal runs and saxophone at the close dizzying and nearly philosophical in delivery. Beverly Glenn-Copeland is one of the best we have, and we’re lucky we’re still getting magical music all these years after KEYBOARD FANTASIES.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
9. “Once in a Lifetime” (Talking Heads Cover) by WITCH
Most “Once in a Lifetime” covers suck, mostly because nothing can adequately capture the blazing color of the original without seeming trite. But WITCH, the ‘70s Zamrock act who have made a comeback in recent years thanks to a renewed interest via reissues and live activity with Partisan and Desert Daze, are just the right band to take it on. They reignite the many African genres and rhythms that were informing Talking Heads’ songwriting from the beginning, coloring outside of the lines with a bright, percussive, extremely fun take. Covers shouldn’t be made to appease those who made the originals, but if David Byrne is riding some bike around Manhattan right now with it on his headphones, I’m sure he’s loving it.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
8. “Suck” (Nine Inch Nails Cover) by Thou
Thou are no strangers to the MGRM Covers lists, and are inarguably one of the best cover bands on the planet—don’t believe me, just try on BLESSINGS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER, a stellar compilation of all the Nirvana tracks they’d done over the years. To the surprise of absolutely no one, their version of Nine Inch Nails’ “Suck” absolutely rips. The standout on a NIN covers compilation released by Magnetic Eye titled BEST OF NINE INCH NAILS (REDUX), which also includes the likes of Marissa Nadler, Blue Heron, the Ocean, and more, they hone in on the closer of the band’s publicly ired EP, BROKEN. I’ll profess to not being remarkably familiar with the original prior to re-listening, but like most Thou covers, knowing the source material is not a prerequisite. Their take flips industrial for grunge and is maybe more accessible than Trent Reznor’s—a surprising feat that only an already-canonized doom metal act like Thou can achieve. Reznor’s anger in their hands is like a flamethrower, but those guitars and drums hit like vintage Mudhoney or Jesus Lizard. When legends cover legends, good things can happen.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
7. “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” (Camera Obscura Cover) by Ducks Ltd. and Lunar Vacation
Ducks Ltd. have amassed an impressive collection of collaborative covers, and their finest yet may be this take on Camera Obscura’s “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” with Lunar Vacation. It’s clear that the Scottish staples are a huge sonic influence on the Canadian jangle pop duo, and, with lush strings and celestial organs, the original would have been a fascinating one to try and reconstruct more precisely. But instead the love and sorrow is carried by the sweeping rhythm section and weighty guitar parts, the more driving tempo a staple of Ducks’ best songs. If the original felt like wandering around Glasgow carefree on a rainy day, the cover, with its punchy surf tone, feels like driving down PCH while the sky is grey. “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” is Ducks Ltd.’s best to date.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
6. “Loaded Painted Red” (764-Hero Cover) by Chastity Belt
I got really into 764-Hero about three years ago. I heard them playing at the Amoeba in Hollywood over the speakers and was instantly taken with it—the store was playing NOBODY KNOWS THIS IS EVERYWHERE in full, and I was smitten discovering in real time what it was. At that moment I didn’t realize I was actually already familiar with the band, albeit only a bit through their collaborative single from 1998 with Modest Mouse, “Whenever You See Fit.” But the act became a staple for me, with tracks like “Confetti Confessional” and “Loaded Painted Red” falling into regular rotation for me. To see Chastity Belt pick the latter track out for a cover this year was heartening, as it has certainly drawn some new eyeballs to the Seattle rock legends. Chastity Belt’s sound is perfect for it, wringing out a kind of lost melancholy from the original that not only feels reflective of the over-25 years since the original was written, but also of the many waves of Pacific Northwest indie music that came after it. In the press release, 764-Hero’s John Atkins calls the cover a “momento” and I think that’s a sweet and accurate framing of it. Let Chastity Belt be your gateway into a handful of incredible late ‘90s and early 2000s albums.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
5. “Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan Cover)” by Margo Price
Margo Price opens her cover of Dylan’s immortal “Maggie’s Farm” not with a ramshackled guitar part, but with an aching harmonica and a still vocal chorus. It makes the stomping, sped-up, solo-filled cover hit all the harder once it bulldozes in, Price’s voice acting as an urgent counter to Dylan’s often shaggy delivery. Plenty have covered the 1965 standout—the opening cornerstone song at the center of his controversial electric turn at the Newport Folk Festival that year. But Price’s feels powerfully current, both on the studio version and when she performed it at Farm Aid with Billy Strings and Jesse Wells a few months ago. From the Dead to Malkmus to Rage Against the Machine, many great artists have given the blue collar anthem an excellent send-up; add Price’s name into the mix.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
4. “Everybody’s Song” (Low Cover) by Robert Plant
Robert Plant being into Low, or at the very least being into their album THE GREAT DESTROYER, is wild. His previous dalliances with the album, then backed by the Band of Joy, were far more straight-ahead than his recent cover of “Everybody’s Song,” which takes the fuzzy slowcore of the original and transforms it into a dusty desert blues song. The result is thrilling—like any of Zeppelin’s covers from almost half-a-century ago, Plant fully reworks and revitalizes the song in a way that’s so singular to his voice. In the same way that “Gallows Pole” shifts from a 19th century folk song to an eternal fixture of ‘70s rock, “Everybody’s Song” has similarly been pulled from rarified air and turned into a statement by Plant.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
3. DRAGULA: A SUITE IN FIVE PARTS (Rob Zombie Cover) by Eric Slick
I admittedly didn’t know how, exactly, to categorize Eric Slick’s DRAGULA: A SUITE IN FIVE PARTS. The Dr. Dog drummer, accomplished solo musician, and online personality delivers something appropriately approximating the nexus of a cover, a musical adaptation, and a meme. And let’s be honest: If you’re gonna cover Rob Zombie’s “Dragula,” this is probably the best way to do it, with so many resources it becomes unclear where the joke begins and the virtuosic, genuine musicianship ends.
Filled with an insane roster of Nashville studio musicians, the cover becomes a jazz template for the first two tracks—the waltzing opener “Dragula Is Born” and the fiery, improv-heavy “Funky Dragula.” Those immortal words do eventually kick in: “Dig through the ditches and burn through the witches / I slam in the back of my Dragula.” But it’s only after you’ve seen 10 masterful musicians turn Zombie’s industrial nu metal classic into a space rock odyssey, continuing on afterwards to emulate more BITCHES BREW than TOXICITY (with a touch of the Jewish holiday classic “I Have a Little Dreidel” thrown in for good measure). What starts as a funny premise evolves into a bit so complex and artful that you can’t help but respect (and eventually love) it. “Do it baby, do it baby.”
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
2. “Godspeed” (Frank Ocean Cover) by Mavis Staples
The only appropriate emotional response to hearing Mavis Staples cover Frank Ocean is to cry. And cry I did.
Frankly, this could be true for all of the songs on Staples’s SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD, a remarkable collection of covers from across an extremely wide spectrum of music history ranging from Leonard Cohen to Kevin Morby. But “Godspeed,” effectively an interlude-style epitaph that leads us to the close of Ocean’s BLONDE, becomes such a warm, hopeful hymn with Staples. An inspiring, singular trumpet transitions us into the poetry of the close (with an assist from Kara Jackson), leaving us helpless with optimism: “But love is the one with the claws / It is completely lawless / A feeling so supernatural, it looks like a lot / This love will keep us through the blinding of the eyes.” She’s been making music for over 70 years and continues, even through her ear for others’ music, to inspire.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
1. “Dancing in the Club” (This Is Lorelei Cover) by MJ Lenderman
There’s seemingly a cottage industry being built around This Is Lorelei covers.
MJ Lenderman’s send-up of Nate Amos’s songwriting became a much-discussed moment for the deluxe version of BOX FOR BUDDY, BOX FOR STAR, perhaps even usurping the original. And that song stayed in rotation in Lenderman’s setlists all throughout 2025—if Setlist.fm is to be believed, he’s played it a whopping 81 times this year. But he’s not alone in working This Is Lorelei into the live set: Snail Mail have been regularly covering “Two Legs,” and Waxahatchee not only have “Where’s Your Love Now” in their setlist rotation, they even performed it for KEXP.
Amos, a man with friends in high places, will soon join those ranks through the merits of the songwriting alone—a feat few artists achieve in the public spotlight anymore. Lenderman’s cover comes at a pivotal moment for both artists, both something of a victory lap for Lenderman after his life-changing 2024 and a moment of arrival for Amos, an Alex-G-in-the-making whose work with Water From Your Eyes doesn’t quite lend itself as clearly to the huge singer-songwriter playground Lenderman is currently the king of. “Dancing in the Club” brilliantly transforms into a gleaming moonlight foxtrot, a love song about hushed moments that plays out just as well with an alt-country lilt as it does a squiggly indietronica cry.
Listen: Bandcamp | YouTube | Spotify
Honorable Mentions:
“Kiss Me” (Sixpence None the Richer Cover) by Specific Coast
“More Than This” (Roxy Music Cover) by Ben Bridwell and Iron & Wine
“Rock & Roll Queen” (The Subways Cover) by Alex Lahey
“Sucked Out” (Superdrag Cover) by Cheekface
“Jubilee Street” (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Cover) by the Color Forty Nine
“Dumb” (Nirvana Cover) by Current Joys
“Poncho and Lefty” (Townes Van Zandt Cover) by Paisley Fields and Laura Stevenson
“Every Time the Sun Comes Up” (Sharon Van Etten Cover) by Carriers
“Beeswing” (Richard Thompson Cover) by Will Carlisle
“Into My Arms” (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Cover) by Lykke Li
“You Get What You Give” (New Radicals Cover) by Geese
“Yellow” (Coldplay Cover) by Wisp
“Walking on a Dream” (Empire of the Sun Cover) by Wet Leg
“Tomorrow Tomorrow” (Elliott Smith Cover) by Brad Mehldau (feat. Daniel Rossen and Chris Thile)
“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” (TV Theme Cover) by Hoogway and Dosi
“Pagan Poetry” (Björk Cover) by Her New Knife
“Colorblind” (Counting Crows Cover) by Maria Taylor and Dashboard Confessional
“Psycho Killer” (Talking Heads Cover) by Cosmic Joke
“Toxicity” (System of a Down Cover) by Jasmine.4.T (feat. Julien Baker)
“Close My Eyes” (Arthur Russell Cover) by Jake Xerxes Fussell
“Barracuda” (Heart Cover) by Chappell Roan
“Cup Of Loneliness” (George Jones Cover) by Merce Lemon and Fust
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