We’re staring down the barrel of an ugly winter, with temperatures dropping and COVID-19 cases rising around the country. Between that and President Donald Trump’s ongoing refusal to accept reality, it’s hard to your spirits up right now; luckily, indie musicians Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers have recognized our collective anguish and provided us with a solution.
On November 3, Bridgers tweeted that she would cover the 1998 song “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls if Donald Trump lost the election. Rogers quickly reached out with an offer to help on harmonies, and lo and behold, a super-duo was born.
Bridgers and Rogers released their cover early on Friday morning, and by my most conservative estimate, I’ve listened to it roughly 60 times since it dropped on Bandcamp. In my defense, the song will only be live for 24 hours, with all proceeds going to benefit the Georgia-based voting rights organization Fair Fight, so really, who am I not to play it on repeat?
As a devoted fan of both Bridgers and Rogers, and a near-unhinged stan of Bridgers’ trio Boygenius who once attempted to perform their ultra-emotional hit “Stay Down” at a festive karaoke party, I’m pretty much the target audience for this release; the fact that the “Iris” cover was released to celebrate Trump’s ouster, though, is the cherry on top of the musical sundae. Long live extremely plaintive female-fronted indie rock, and God bless America!