“Ocean Eyes,” the haunting synth-pop ballad produced by her brother Finneas, is one of the first singles that Billie Eilish released before her immense takeoff as the subversive pop star we know and love today. But what if there was a bit more edge to it? What if the pre-chorus sounded like we were descending into purgatory, siren-like cries cautioning us like lost souls?
At the beginning of the month, pop-rock avant-gardist Shamir posed a similar question: What if the viral hit by Eilish was a “haunted emo shoegaze rock song?” Now Shamir has answered that question with his own brilliant cover of “Ocean Eyes.” This cover, which is so freaking good, is the first release of 2021 for Shamir. It follows his also very good self-titled album from 2020.
Listen below.
