Seasoned Toronto indie rockers Dwayne Gretzky have just dropped an animated video for their cover of ABBA’s “S.O.S.” In addition to the cover, they’ve announced their forthcoming self-titled debut album, which is set for release on August 23rd.
Dwayne Gretzky’s cover of the legendary hit is more gritty and distorted than the original, with ominous keys, grainy vocal lines, and a pounding, driven drum beat. The accompanying clip, which was animated and directed by Anne Douris, sees grainy, animated versions of the bandmembers as they unnervingly sing along to the classic tune. The animation style is particularly captivating, with desaturated colours and jumpy, beautifully woven cuts.
“This project is about taking songs we love and recontextualizing them in some way for the sheer fun of it,” band member Nick Rose explains to Indie88. “We’re all big fans of ABBA, and ‘S.O.S.’ is a particular favourite, so it was an interesting experiment to dress it up in different clothes and see it through a new lens. Lyrically the song has so much desperation and urgency, it seemed fitting to put in this sort of dark, piano-driven indie-rock world.”
Watch the video for “S.O.S.” below.
Catch Dwayne Gretzky at the Festival of Beer in Toronto on July 27th.