Folksy Americana meets Britney Spears on Norwegian singersongwriter Sondre Lerche’s latest EP

FOLKSY AMERICANA MEETS BRITNEY SPEARS ON NORWEGIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER SONDRE LERCHE'S LATEST EP

Over the past few years, LA-based artist Sondre Lerche has made it his own little tradition to cover pop hits from the year that’s been as a holiday gift to his fans. His past covers range from Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball and Drake’s Hotline Bling to Sia’s Chandelier and Beyoncé’s Countdown. To cap off the end of the decade, Lerche has stepped up his game by essentially pulling a Ryan Adams circa 2015. But, instead of Taylor Swift, it’s the former queen of pop, Britney Spears.

Appropriately titled Britney, the EP follows his 2018 record Solo Pleasure, and finds the Norwegian singer-songwriter rummaging through Ms Spears’ discography and settling on two of her career-defining ballads plus one of the lesser-known gems from 2007’s Blackout. On paper, the concept seems rather straightforward. Do bear in mind, however, that this is the same man who brought us a darkwave rework of Sia’s Chandelier and a Norwegian version of Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next, so, suffice to say, we’re in for a treat.

The EP opens with its only original composition, Slip Into Character. Inspired by the #freebritney movement, the song is written “in support of emancipation and happiness, within and beyond the spotlight”, according to the artist himself. “Slip into something more uncomfortable/ Than all of the above/ Spare the conspiracies/ And your wellbeing for the afterlife,” he croons alongside The Silver Lake Chorus, which provides the ethereal backing vocal harmonies.

This segues nicely into an acoustic rendition of Everytime, a collaboration with Philly-based soul/Americana producer Adam Arcuragi. Against the sparse,

THIS IS THE SAME MAN WHO BROUGHT US A DARKWAVE REWORK OF SIA’S CHANDELIER

country-tinged backdrop, Lerche lets his unadorned vocals shine, capturing the sentiment of the original with ease. Similarly, I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman gets turned into a serene bluegrass ballad with help from LA-based artist Dominique Arciero and Nickle Creek’s Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins.

After two relatively doleful offerings, the EP concludes with a cover of the Pharrell Williams-penned R&B kiss-off Why Should

I Be Sad. Linking up with multi-instrumentalist/DJ Wynne Bennett and composer Shruti Kumar, Lerche amplifies the track’s empowering message through subdued beats and whispered falsetto. There’s no better way to end an EP wholly dedicated to Britney Spears than this.