Setting the tone with a dimensional synth and immersive keys, The Eighty Six Seas opens his cover of The National‘s I Need My Girl with intrigue and the iconic lyrics, “I am good, I am grounded, Davy says that I look taller, I can’t get my head around it, I keep feeling smaller and smaller, I need my girl…”
We are immediately mesmerized by the vocal timbre of The Eighty Six Seas, who is also known as artist Nick Stevens from New York, as he takes us on a journey through his feelings and emotions with the track.
The production is refined, and we deeply appreciate the ebbs and flow of the piece, the astral keys and the presence of singer Elly Kace who shares her vocals for the piece. The harmonies are luscious and the EDM-hybrid energy lends itself to an anthemic nature.
Speaking on why The Eighty Six Seas chose to cover the track, he confesses, “It’s been a part of my DNA since I first heard it when The National debuted it on Q Radio in 2012. I recorded this cover to mark the evolution in my sound as The Eighty Six Seas, matching my indie folk roots with electronica and synth pop sounds.”
Elaborating on the presence of his collaborator, he says, “My friend Elly Kace is the secret weapon on this track, delivering a virtuosic vocal performance that illustrates the complexities and eccentricities of the relationship at the center of the piece.” Nick adds with passion, “This doesn’t get done without my good friend and bandmate Straight Pepper Diet taking my raw piano, guitar and vocal stems and radically transforming it into something I could have only dreamed of.”
We love what The Eighty Six Seas is creating, and listening to his cover of The National‘s I Need My Girl has inspired us to explore his wider discography, which you can stream below, including his EP, This is Just a Simple Song!