Earlier this year, members of the now-defunct post-punk group Pill teamed up with their peers in Eaters for a new group which they naturally called P.E. After sharing a full LP of playful, sax-heavy jams back in March, the group is resurfacing to announce a new covers single composed of their takes on The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” which they’re calling—again, naturally—I Wanna Be Your Dog, Boy.
“We started working on cover songs in preparation for the tour dates to support our debut LP Person,” the band shares. “‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’” was the first one we attempted—there’s something appealingly perverse about covering one of the most-covered songs of all time—and it was also the last song we worked on together in a room for many months. With the cancellations and separations imposed by the pandemic, we threw ourselves into remote writing and recording. The covers were a nice palette cleanser; a creative way to play with sound before committing to the next full-length. “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” is the first fruit of our remote recording labor, the perfect foil and flip-side of desire to “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” We hope to someday perform these in person as intended, but for now we offer these up to your solitary listening pleasure.
Equal parts seductive and unnerving—as is the original—P.E.’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog” is a considerably more minimalist take on the Stooges track. The band confirms this was the intent: “We dedicate these songs to all those looking for a special cutie(s) in the midst of a global pandemic; we hope you find some sweetness.”
Stream the track below, and pre-order the single here.
