BEST NEW TRACKS: FREYA RIDINGS - MAPS (ACOUSTIC)

7/7/17

Freya Ridings is a name you need to know. The London dweller is just 22 years old and has only two songs out in the world. Yet she has already proven that she has that touch—a touch that is nimble and devastating. It can engulf you with its gusting strength. Her talent, however young, is probably why her team chose to shoot the accompanying visual for her new single, "Maps," in a one-shot live performance at Hackney Round Chapel.

 

FREYA RIDINGS - MAPS (ACOUSTIC)

Freya's song's title should sound familiar to you if you're a music lover. It's a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs track by the same name—arguably their most celebrated title to date. Somehow Freja gets away with borrowing the song because her talent is so overarching, we'd likely be hypnotized by her own rendition of "Happy Birthday" too.

In case you haven't heard the original version before, the melody and lyrics portray a tale of deep heartbreak. And then with the addition of Karen O's haunting vocals, we thought it couldn't get any better. While we wouldn't call Freya's work better, we would call it equally enchanting. She takes an inventive, near-perfect rock-tinged ballad and puts her whole being into her own acoustic version. She can never claim to have written the unforgettable lyrics, but you can feel her heart strings tugging with the each hit on the piano keys and that makes it worthwhile enough for We Are: The Guard.