Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs 'Under the Covers, Vol. 1' album

Two of pop music’s darlings – Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles - have joined voices in celebration of one of the most important eras in pop music. Featuring 15 of the duo’s favorite pop tunes from the 1960s, Under The Covers Vol. 1 combines popular hits and obscure gems from such important names in music as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, The Who, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, The Zombies, The Mamas And The Papas, The Left Banke, The Bee Gees, The Marmalade, Fairport Convention, Love, The Stone Poneys, and The Velvet Underground. Sweet and Hoffs, each with a stunning and highly distinguishable voice of their own, mingle melodies and tones for new, unique harmonies that truly reflect the sounds of the time. Shout! Factory will release Under The Covers Vol. 1 on April 18th.

Matthew “Sid” Sweet and Susanna “Susie” Hoffs have always been fans of each other’s work, performing guest vocals at each others concerts a few times throughout the years, and collaborating with comedian Mike Myers as members of Austin Powers’ on-screen band Ming Tea in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and Austin Powers in Goldmember. Now Sweet and Hoffs explore a classic era of pop music together for the first time, on Under The Covers. The down to earth feel of the record reflects the ease of the sessions; recorded entirely at Sweet’s home facility, Lolina Green, the work was a true labor of love, done, as they both put it, “purely for the fun of it!” The newly formed duo wanted to start with a few of their favorite, though lesser known tracks: “She May Call You Up Tonight” by ‘60s baroque rock band The Left Banke, “The Warmth Of The Sun” by The Beach Boys, and the melancholy ballad “Who Knows Where The Time Goes?” by British folk-rock group Fairport Convention, among others. They also threw in a few more well-known songs from the era; Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl,” Pete Townsend’s “The Kids Are Alright,” and John Phillips’ “Monday, Monday” were on the short list. Sweet and Hoffs, both Lou Reed fans, also added “Sunday Morning” from The Velvet Underground & Nico. Of course no ’60 music collection would be complete without a selection from The Beatles, so the Sweet/Hoffs consensus was “And Your Bird Can Sing” from Revolver. And, one exception to the rule requires mentioning; the Bee Gee’s “Run To Me,” actually came out in 1971.

A ’60s pop primer of sorts, Under The Covers Vol. 1’s 15 songs span a wide range of genres – from rock to folk to pop – but all have that unmistakable ’60s vibe. It’s obvious that Sweet and Hoffs have put their own stamp on these covers, individually and collectively, but have done so with a sense of respect and admiration for the original versions and composers. On Under The Covers Vol. 1 Sweet and Hoffs pay homage to arguably the most important decade in pop music by inserting their own musical personalities and unique harmonies for a fresh and new sound. Dig it.

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Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Under the Covers, Vol. 1