In the mid-90’s, Everclear were ruling the airwaves, first coming to the world’s attention with their 1995 smash “Santa Monica”. The band would continue to have hits the rest of the decade and early into the new Millennium.
Despite all this success, the group’s influence on younger acts is rarely mentioned. Group’s like Third Eye Blind, R.E.M. and Green Day are often shouted out more, despite Everclear‘s strong run. Durham, NC’s Owen FitzGerald will perhaps change this trend with his somber, acoustic cover of “Santa Monica.”
About the original, FitzGerald has said “When I sang along I felt serious and adult and capable. The original version is perfect and I have loved it my whole life.”
Part of a double single that acts as a follow-up to his 2022 LP A DEEP CLEAN YOU CAN COUNT ON, FitzGerald trades the original track’s crunchy guitars and slapping drums for mournful slide guitar and hushed vocals over a wistful beat. If Everclear‘s original was meant for a surf at dawn, FitzGerald’s is for floating on your back far past the waves as the sun sets.
Listen to Owen FitzGerald‘s take on this classic here, and compare it to the original here!
The Indy Review 