“Diane Young”
Writers: Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmanglij
Original Release Date: April 20, 2013
The weather is (finally) warming up so I’m moving to more summery songs in my daily playlists, and who better to start with than indie pop darlings Vampire Weekend?
For a band with the word “vampire” in their name, Vampire Weekend has always surprised me with how mellow they are (I initially assumed they’d be some sort of goth rock, but clearly I was wrong). “Diane Young” is a boppy little number with a not-so-secret darker meaning hiding behind the sunshiney melody: the band has confirmed that the name is a play on the phrase “dying young”. Overall, it has an almost sixties-esque feel, something you’d expect from a modern day Beach Boys, and it’s the type of infectious earworm that will have you humming for days.
If you’ve ever listened to Biffy Clyro, you’ll know that they have an eclectic sound that spans genres. So while slowing it down to cover an indie pop song like “Diane Young” isn’t out of the ordinary for them, it’s still a shock to hear them so mellow, trading their usual stadium-ready sound for acoustic guitars and finger-clicking. The best part of this cover is how deep Simon Neil’s voice goes on the “baby baby baby” part—and how hilarious the band finds the whole thing, as they let their giggles slip in more than once.
I’m a sucker for a Scottish accent so I’m going to say the Biffy Clyro cover is my preferred version, but that’s not saying I don’t constantly listen to the Vampire Weekend original anyway!