Starcrawler
Pet Sematary
Rough Trade
Originally written by punk legends Ramones for the 1989 film adaption of Steven King’s Pet Sematary, rising LA scuzz rockers Starcrawler recently covered the titular track for the film’s second adaption.
Starcrawler stick true to the original, while also putting their own unique spin on it too, for one hellova dope track. It’s as much the original as it’s different, leaving you knowingly listening to a cover, yet hearing something completely new.
Opening with cleaner guitar taking centre stage, it sounds a little more like Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear The Reaper intro than Ramones’ original (minus cowbell). The original shines through when the drums and bass kick in, topped by those iconic lyrics. When shock-rocker frontwoman, Arrow de Wilde’s vocals roll, you’re sucked in completely. Despite the obvious differences to Joey Ramone, her tone is spot on and you’ll be fighting the urge not to contribute.
It’s Starcrawler’s relatively stripped back approach, keeping their sound raw and to the point, that’s made them so impressive to date. Here that point is to aurally infest your ears, and pulse throughout your system, which it does with ease. Following their stellar self-titled debut LP, Starcrawler haven’t only met, but exceeded and set a new bar for themselves. While it’s unknown whether Pet Sematary will form a future album, it’s another stride in their hit littered catalogue.
Loved the original? You’ll undoubtedly dig this. Hated it? Give it a go anyway. Never heard of it? Have you been living under a fucking rock? Check it out, now.
RYAN ELLIS
