Song Of The Day: Natalie McCool - "Wind Blows Harder" (Thumpers remix)

24 November 2014, 10:00 | Written by Maya Hambro

(Tracks)

(Thumpers) (Natalie McCool)

Scouser songstress Natalie McCool has been impressing for a while now with a string of superbly produced indie-pop releases, each topped by a vocal performance of more confidence and strength than the last. Most recent cut, “Wind Blows Harder”, was an eerie tornado of percussion and reverb soaked guitar, and paired with a stunning submission for Zane Lowe’s rework of the “Drive” soundtrack, leaves us feeling she’s probably in for a busy 2015.

Now, just in case we’d run out of reasons to be impressed, she’s lent “Wind Blows Harder” to London duo Thumpers who’ve worked some remix magic on it. Re-interpreting the cut in their trademark synth heavy style, it’s a soup of layered voices embossed it with the kind of majesty so often missing from pop.

Playing with pitch allows the song to rest on a bed of choral rhythms, with McCool’s voice breaking through a sonic cloud like sun on a stormy day. No longer playing with the boundary between chirpy and melancholic, it draws the piece into a darker resting place, big on the emotional intensity and perfect for a gloomy November day.