The Chromatics’ cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” sounds spacey and sullen, like it was written under a bad hangover and heavy rain. Despite the group’s impressive ability to get lost in the endless expanse of their riffs, they stay pretty true to the original song, including in regards to track length, and they never really dismantle its distinguishing characteristics. When covering a classic song by one of the most important American musicians of all time, that’s probably a really good idea.

Both versions of “I’m On Fire” traffic in tension and longing, but the Chromatics’ rendition sounds once removed. It’s a step slower and roomier, the interplay amongst the instruments creating a much more open musical landscape. Considering the relatively narrow scope of the alterations made, the Chromatics’ version evokes much different emotions. Where Springsteen’s version sounds lustful for the woman he’s writing about, the Chromatic’s version sounds slightly mournful, as if the moment has passed them by. I find that especially artful considering they kept all of the original lyrics and melodies.

I don’t know if the youtube video (Embedding disabled? Are you fucking kidding me?) was created by the band or a fan. It’s not an especially exciting video, but it has that creepy-old-cartoon-played-on-silent-at-a-party-vibe to it, which probably has more to do with the editing than the original footage itself. Either way, it doesn’t impede the expressiveness of the song, it just might not add.