Ibeyi’s Take on Black Flag’s “Rise Above” Takes the Punk Classic to a Whole New Level

Today in things we had no idea how badly we needed and now can’t live without, we bring you Ibeyi covering Black Flag. If the combination of hardcore punk’s most misunderstood slingers of acerbic venom and the celestial harmonies of Ibeyi seems like an odd mix, you’re not wrong. But just a few seconds in it’s clear this is one of those covers that elevates its source material to such a degree to make the original almost quaint by comparison. This is Hendrix covering “Watchtower,” and Johnny Cash doing “Hurt.” The original’s great, sure, but this is a whole other level. Taking Henry Rollins’ defiant lyrics and transforming them (with an assist by a verse from BERWYN) into a declaration of global revolution against injustice is no easy feat. But here we are.

“Rise Above” hails from the twin’s forthcoming full length Spell 31. With each record, they’ve shown their capacity to grow and experiment without losing sight of the core that has made them such a beloved presence in the scene, and with their latest single, Ibeyi show there’s no stopping them.

Follow Ibeyi @ibeyiofficial for more.