For their third time in the Like a Version studios, Sydney trio Mansionair wanted to take on a true classic — and what's more nostalgic than Chris Isaak's incredibly wistful 'Wicked Game'?
"It's always just stuck with me," says singer Jack Froggatt. "It's that smoky, ballad-y feel."
For their take, the Grammy-nominated band — comprised of Jack, Lachlan Bostock and Alex Nicholls — took on Chris's brooding spirit by swapping out his twanging guitar for celestial synths, the track becoming a moody dancefloor filler. Rather than put on his finest Roy Orbison impression, Jack sticks to his light, airy vocals, as if singing through his heartbreak is too hurtful.
Mansionair say this take is pretty aligned to their upcoming third album Some Kind of Alchemy.
"It's a lot of what we've been trying to do musically for this album," says Jack. "Elevate [our sound] and put it on a dance floor and make it fun and flow-y. And I think this song just kind of had that all over it."
Plus, the band wanted something that could fit into their live sets, given that previous LAVs — of Labrinth's 'Still Don't Know My Name' in 2022, and Future Islands 'Seasons (Waiting on You") in 2015 — have proven to be fan favourites.
"They say third time's a charm too, right?," says Jack.
We'd have to agree.
Catch Mansionair chat through their Like a Version below, as well as play through Some Kind of Alchemy's lead single, 'Lose Yourself Again', below.