Muri and Friends - Covers EP - Independent
Fuck I’m Lonely originally by Lauv featuring Johnny and Rory Spencer of Dayseeker
Good Things Fall Apart originally by ILLENIUM featuring No Dice
Graveyard originally by Halsey featuring Tilian Pearson of Dance Gavin Dance
Thanks For The Memories originally by Fall Out Boy featuring Johnny and Jonathan Young
Youngblood originally by 5 Seconds of Summer featuring Lauren Babic of Red Handed Denial and CrazyEightyEight
Party In the USA originally by Miley Cyrus featuring Surf Team
Everything I Wanted originally by Billie Eilish featuring Whale Bones
Bilmuri is the answer to anyone in the scene seeking something unique. Since 2016, Johnny Franck (songwriter, frontman, crabcore legend, and an all-around good guy) has had NINE releases. NINE. That’s pretty much two albums a year, which is unheard of in a scene where the turnaround for an album or EP, at the lowest, and still very rare, is at least a year. Most would be at two or three years. Impressive on its own, but as the saying goes “quality over quantity”, right? That’s where the uniqueness shines because this quick turnaround has yet to diminish the quality of the music (or the music videos, do yourself a favor and check those out). Plus, Bilmuri is not afraid to take chances in the genre department. The more recent releases are very different from the old school discography yet, still with that distinct Muri sound. Now, that brings me to what would be Bilmuri’s tenth release.
...But first a little backstory. Cover songs have a very interesting dynamic in the scene. They can be used in many different ways as an artist or a listener. Some may use them for popularity (see I Prevail), some to pay homage to artists or songs they respect. Sometimes, being called a “cover band” is a derogatory comment (see Our Last Night), but sometimes it seems like artists get their friends together, as well as artists in the scene they respect and want to work with, to have some fun and connect to a possibly larger audience and give the fans something new to check out. The latter best describes the tenth Bilmuri release and the creation of the new SUPERGROUP Muri and Friends!
Johnny has seemingly pulled together with friends he’s worked with many times in the past like Lauren Babic (Red Handed Denial, CrazyEightyEight) and Tillian Pearson (Dance Gavin Dance). Bands he’s toured with like Whale Bones. No Dice, who he collaborated with in the past to make ‘DiceMuri’. And then there are people and bands I’d like to hear the backstory of how the collaboration started: Surf Team, Jonathan Young, and Rory Spencer (Dayseeker). Maybe I’ll find out in a future podcast…(I’d also like to know how the specific songs were chosen as well).
Obviously, this is a very diverse bunch of bands and vocalists, all with different backgrounds. One of the fun parts of hearing a cover song is checking out the artist’s original music as well (definitely make sure you do that). The differences in styles give you a lot to discover. Another unique aspect of this ‘Covers’ EP is that Johnny isn’t always the vocalist and he’s never the lone vocalist. This adds more dynamics to the composition of each track and allows the other artists to shine on their own. Speaking for myself, unless a cover song is already covering something from the scene, ‘Thnks fr the Mmrs’ for example, I won’t know it unless it was absolutely everywhere, see ‘Party In The U.S.A’. So, listening through, almost every track was new to me. Going through the EP, your listening experience may be completely different if you know the original tracks better. That’s always an interesting part of cover songs, at least for me. It will determine how much the cover hits you, did you like the original more, is the cover better, or are they both good in different ways?
Even though I don’t often listen to pop music (really, never), I went and listened to the originals of all the songs covered by Muri and Friends. It was very interesting to hear how the artists on the EP decided to compose their vision to keep some aspects of the originals, but also make each their own. Some parts stand out because of a heightened note or tone, a twist on the lead up to a chorus, or even a tempo change.
I don’t want to go track by track on the differences between the original and the cover, because it’s up to you to feel how the songs affect you, but for example, a big standout on the EP is the Billie Eilish cover by Whale Bones. You can feel the passion and seemingly torment manifested in the vocals and lead up to the crescendo. Everyone will feel something different, I’m sure, but that’s what’s so amazing about music.
Once again, Bilmuri continues to stand alone and stand out in another diverse and engaging musical endeavor. The best part is that he always seems like he’s just having fun and I believe you can feel that in the music. No matter the style or composition it’s very difficult to fake that. I will continue to look forward to any time Bilmuri releases anything, because I know it’s going to be a good surprise to my day and music catalog.
