"It’s a moody, beautiful song." Watch Fontaines D.C. blend Nirvana and Bring Me The Horizon classics into one beautifully atmospheric, synth-led cover

(Image credit: triple j)

Fontaines D.C. have recorded an atmospheric, synth-led cover of Bring Me The Horizon's 2013 single Can You Feel My Heart for Australian radio station triple j, and artfully blended a snippet of Nirvana's 1993 hit single Heart-Shaped Box into their re-imagining of the song.

The song was recorded for indie rock radio station triple j's popular Like A Version series during the Dublin band's February/March tour of Australia.

Explaining the band's decision to cover the Bring Me The Horizon track, originally featured on the Yorkshire band's fourth album Sempiternal, Fontaines D.C. guitarist Conor Curley says, “It was frontman Grian's idea initially. I think the sound of that song, the kind of electronic elements and just the general vibe reflects stuff we were touching on on our last album Romance so it kind of seemed like a good place to start. And it’s a moody, beautiful song.”

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Discussing why Heart-Shaped Box was weaved into the cover, Curley revealed that the song, the first single lifted from Nirvana's third album, In Utero, is “probably up there with one of the first songs I learned on guitar in drop D [tuning]”.

He also revealed that, during the recording session, Fontaines considered ditching the Bring Me The Horizon cover in favour of Heart-Shaped Box, before having the idea to blend the songs together.

"Grian just started it when we were getting the sounds and it was almost a thing of 'DEo we switch it to that?’ and use instrumentation," he admitted.

Fontaines D.C. covers Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ for Like A Version - YouTube

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The Dublin band were recently forced to cancel the South American tour they had scheduled to follow on from their visit to Australia and New Zealand, after frontman Chatten suffered a herniated disc. The quintet had shows lined up in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.

In a statement released at the time, Chatten said, "I have been really excited to play these beautiful countries for years and it really hurts to be here in Mexico City and not be able to go onstage, but I have been advised today, that I require urgent medical attention. We are very grateful for all your support and, with all my heart, I am sorry that I can’t play for you."

The band are due to commence a North America next month, beginning in Seattle on April 17.

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.