Watch Whitehorse cover the New Pornographers' "Bones of an Idol" for the Polaris Cover Series

by Mark Teo

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been unveiling the Polaris Cover Series, which had previous Polaris nominees covering each other’s songs—like, for example, Sarah Harmer shockingly gorgeous cover of Caribou’s “Odessa” and the Great Lake Swimmers intimate take on Harmer’s “I’m a Mountain.” Next up? Whitehorse—who made it to the Polaris shortlist in 2013 with The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss—who strip a New Pornographers classic to its bare bones, only to rebuild it as a bombastic, spaced-out stomper.

Whitehorse, made up of the notably adorable couple Luke Doucet and Melissa McLelland, craft the song around lonesome kick drums and sparse electric guitars, before it culminates into an explosion of swoon-worthy vocals. No, it doesn’t sound like something A.C. Newman would sing, but hey, that’s the point. If you want to hear the original, track it down on the New Pornos’ Polaris-class-of-’06 album Twin Cinema, which, without exaggeration, is a modern Cancon classic.

If you’re digging these covers, you’re in luck, as each song will be pressed onto a limited-edition 7-inch, set for release next Record Store Day. The Polaris Music Prize happens on September 22, and we’ll be livestreaming the whole event—so tune in to see who wins the $30,000 prize.