Back in October, classic English punk band, The Damned, announced their next studio album, ‘Not Like Everybody Else’, set for release early next year. It’s a covers record, featuring songs by The Animals and The Rolling Stones, and is dedicated to the memory of founding member Brian James, who passed away in March of this year.

The group kicked off this album rollout with their take on R. Dean Taylor’s ‘There’s A Ghost In My House’, and now they’re digging even deeper into 60’s rock with a cover of one of legendary art rock group Pink Floyd’s earliest hits, the psychedelic and fun ‘See Emily Play’.

'See Emily Play’ was Pink Floyd’s second ever single, released in June 1967. It’s a delightful slice of eccentric psych-pop, with lyrics that came to the group’s late original frontman, Syd Barrett, in a dream. It’s appropriately weird and whimsical for the psychedelic drug-inspired music of the time and of the band’s earliest records, and is a perfect tune for The Damned to try their hand at on this new album.

Their take on the song is great, too. While it sticks pretty close to the original in terms of performance, it benefits from a more modern style of production, with guitars and organs swirling between each other during the bridge, or the lead vocals from David Vanian, which are a bit cleaner than Barrett’s on the original track. It maintains the playful trippiness of the 1967 original, while bringing it up to speed with modern rock production in a tasteful way.

The performances throughout the track are tight, particularly from drummer Rat Scabies. His playing is impactful and firm, while still lending the song a sense of groove and danceability. It’s overall a fantastic showing from The Damned, bringing the track over to their style of production, while keeping the spirited energy of its original incarnation intact.

Check out ‘Not Like Everybody Else’ when it releases on January 23rd next year.