Daniel Johnston may be rivaled only by Elliott Smith as a songwriter whose music has been covered, sampled, or otherwise interpolated by an incredibly wide range of musicians regardless of their age or genre. In churning out minimalist, lo-fi ballads, he left plenty of room for a group like Haunted Summer to fill in the blanks with moody atmospherics in lieu of the tape-hiss instrumental and harsh vocal recording of the original.
The duo’s take on “You Put My Love Out the Door” arrives ahead of a new album called Whole, which drops this summer through their new label home of Rain Phoenix’s LaunchLeft. The cover presents Johnston’s original concept as a lush, softened ethereal-folk composition just in time for Valentine’s Day. “His music drove the way we created ours,” vocalist Bridgette Eliza Moody shares of Johnston’s influence. “It doesn’t need to be perfect to be perfect. I think the song speaks to the lyrical theme of the rest of the album where you confront the ones that have hurt you, either intentionally or not. You don't necessarily need an apology or even a reply, but just speaking your own piece gives you peace.”
The new track arrives with an overcast visual that matches the song’s foggy feel. “We wanted it to feel like you were in another world,” the band’s John Seasons adds. “We were truly blessed with the weather playing a starring role in the video—giving us all aspects of its beauty.”
Watch the video below, and pre-save the new album here.
