Alt-Rock veterans Alien Ant Farm have a sweet surprise for fans currently in lockdown in the form of their new shot-at-home, cameo-filled video for their cover of Wham!‘s ‘Everything She Wants.’ The video features cameos from DJ/producer Zedd, Insane Clown Posse, members of 311, P.O.D., Hoobastank, The Black Dahlia Murder, and many more! In addition to the brand new video, Alien Ant Farm will be streaming a live performance from the world-famous Whiskey A Go-Go on July 11th. Fans can purchase tickets to watch the stream at home HERE.
The easy-going and wacky video meshes well with the hard rock sheen Alien Ant Farm breathes into the cover, all while still retaining the pop edge present in the original. Slick guitar riffs, a punchy bassline, cold-synths, and a soaring chorus further help Alien Ant Farm update the classic for 2020.
“We’d been working on our first record in six years when the lockdown hit and basically halted all production.” says guitarist Terry Corso to Loudwire about the new cover. “Luckily, we had a handful of songs recorded, mixed, and ready to go, including our version of ‘Everything She Wants’ by Wham! The cover seemed like an obvious choice to inject some fun and happiness into a world that could really use it. To sweeten the deal, we figured why not ask fans, friends, and family to film themselves having a little fun while quarantined/social distancing and send it to us for the video. The result is a cool experiment in people being apart and sending the clear message that we’re all in this together.”
“As with any cover we take on, it usually starts with us being huge fans of the song and or the artist,” Terry explains about why they covered the Wham! classic. “The original Wham! version of ‘Everything She Wants’ is extremely heavy. It’s sonic, soulful, and has great subject matter. I think we are a bit drawn to syncopated synth bass lines. They translate well to chunky guitars. I think just like with ‘Smooth Criminal,’ it was about keeping the attitude in place and maybe even taking it a little further. At the same time playing into the raw simplicity of the riffs and arrangement while beefing up the guitar somehow makes it a whole different beast of a song.”