cover of "pumped up kicks"

August 11, 2012 9:51 AM

What is this mellow, electronic version of "Pumped Up Kicks" I am hearing?

I am currently obsessed with a version of "Pumped up Kicks" I am hearing at a Costa Coffee in China (the store employees and the people I emailed from the website have not helped). It's a very mellow, kind of electronic version with no bass or clubby beats or anything. The singers and instrumentation are different than the original and it also is slower than the original.

Does anyone have any idea who might do this version?

posted by bearette to media & arts (10 answers total)

Is it the Butch Clancy version?
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 9:55 AM on August 11, 2012

It's similar to that...but with less drums and such going on in the background. The version I am hearing is much more mellow. But the voices singing sound similar. Thank you for helping!
posted by bearette at 9:59 AM on August 11, 2012

*note: I cannot access youtube here so I looked up it up online, so possible am hearing a different version...
posted by bearette at 10:00 AM on August 11, 2012

The version qxntpqbbbqxl links to is a dubstep remix (and quite identifiable as such). Is the version you heard dubstep?
posted by sbutler at 11:20 AM on August 11, 2012

Is it the Owl Eyes cover?
posted by Cue the Strings at 4:13 PM on August 11, 2012

I'd snipped the Owl Eyes version from a previous ep of Coverville and gave it a re-listen just now. It is more stripped down -- but not electronic in the least and if anything it's faster than the original.

FWIW, this was the version of the song I'd heard first. I'm not as plugged in to pop culture as I used to be (kids will do that to you) -- so at some point a year or so back I suddenly encountered lots of different versions of the song with no indication of which one came "first". When I finally heard the original, its semi-processed vocals and instrumentation and its slightly shambling pace very nearly made me say "hey, neat, a mellow, electronic version..."
posted by sesquipedalia at 9:12 PM on August 11, 2012

Hmm. So, which one is the original? Is it the Free the People version? (I live in china, not exactly caught up on pop culture either).
posted by bearette at 10:43 PM on August 11, 2012

Cue the Strings, it's not the Owl Eyes version, but thanks anyway!
posted by bearette at 10:46 PM on August 11, 2012

It's Foster the People, and yes, they did it first.
posted by sbutler at 2:15 AM on August 12, 2012

Here's a non-YouTube video of the original, Foster the People version. I can't read Chinese, so I don't know if the site is spammy or not... but hopefully the video plays for you :)
posted by sbutler at 3:19 AM on August 12, 2012