Hear Pom Pom Squad’s Plaintive Cover of FKA twigs’ “Cellophane”

Brooklyn indie rockers Pom Pom Squad have shared their take on FKA twigs’ powerful comeback single “Cellophane,” the band’s first new release since putting out their Ow EP last year. Frontwoman Mia Berrin and company put a unique spin on one of Paste’s top 2019 tracks, coloring within its poignantly subdued lines until they don’t—Pom Pom Squad replace the original’s stark piano with crashing cymbals and waves of distorted guitar, imbuing “Cellophane” with an explosive catharsis, as if refusing to accept the feelings of inadequacy and anxiety at its heart. “They’re waiting / and hoping / I’m not enough,” sings Berrin, her voice taut with emotion, defying her doubters.

Says Berrin of the cover:

I know I’m not alone in saying that “Cellophane” was one of my absolute favorite songs of last year … I’ve been a fan of twigs since I was in high school and heard “Hide” off of EP1. She was one of the first artists that made me seen as a woman of color occupying an alternative space, and I could immediately hear myself in the sweeping ebbs and flows of this song.

Pom Pom Squad—Berrin, bassist Mari Alé Figeman, drummer Shelby Keller and guitarist Alex Mercuri—are touring North America alongside Wisconsin rockers Disq this spring, beginning with an April 4 Chicago show and sticking closely to the East Coast before wrapping their run with an April 12 Washington, D.C., stop. But first, they’ll play San Francisco’s Noise Pop Festival alongside Rosie Tucker, as well as SXSW in Austin.

Listen to Pom Pom Squad’s “Cellophane” cover and see the band’s tour dates below.

Pom Pom Squad Tour Dates:

February
26 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Noise Pop Festival w/ Rosie Tucker

March
13-22 – Austin, Texas @ SXSW

April
04 – Chicago, Ill. @ Schubas Tavern w/ Disq
06 – Detroit, Mich. @ PJ’s Lager House w/ Disq
07 – Toronto, Ont. @ The Drake w/ Disq
09 – Boston, Mass. @ Great Scott w/ Disq
10 – New York, N.Y. @ Rough Trade w/ Disq
11 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Boot & Saddle w/ Disq
12 – Washington, D.C. @ Songbyrd w/ Disq