It’s been some time since we heard from P&P favorite Sway Clarke, the Berlin-based rocker with a genre-bridging sensibility and a wicked wit. To kick off 2016 and break the silence since his last release, Sway chose to cover one of 2015’s runaway hits, Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s “Lean On.”
“Back in September one of my sisters was visiting from Toronto and were jamming out ‘Lean On’ in my apartment when she turned and said, ‘why don’t you cover this?'” Sway said of the cover’s origins via email. “Because I love her, I tried it out at some open mics in Berlin and voila!!! It’s by far one of my favorite songs of 2015 AND it’s also helped inspire a forthcoming ’90s cover’s mixtape that I’m going to be releasing mid-January.”
Sway’s version peels back the now incessant tropical layers familiar to any American listener with ears, revealing the catchy, tenderly written core of a monster single. It’s a fine showcase of Sway’s voice and effortless cool, an unexpectedly enjoyable reworking that doesn’t pander or feel forced like so many Soundcloud covers of current hits.
If you happen to be in German at the end of January by chance, catch Sway on a mini tour (dates below).
1/20/16 – Köln, Wohngemeinschaft
1/21/16 – Gießen, Amelie
1/22/16 – Wiesbaden, Heimathafen
01/23/16 Darmstadt, Bedroom Disco
01/24/16 Stuttgart, Galao
01/26/16 Düsseldorf, Cube
01/30/16 Berlin, TBA
