2nd Grade – “Favorite Song” (original and re-cut)

Last year Philly’s 2nd Grade brought an onslaught of big-hearted pop to the table on their 24-track collection of sunshine power indie. Before those double dozen earworms hit the shelves the band’s Pete Gill was working hourly rates and recording demos in a friend’s bathroom for his debut Wish You Were Here Tour, which had a tape release on local Philly indie Sleeper Records. Now that he’s big time and pulling down full extra value meal money while claiming a prime seat on the Double Double Whammy bus he’s getting the label to revisit his beginnings in the bathroom once more, reissuing the album with newly recorded versions that feature the full band from Hit To Hit alongside the originals. It’s interesting to see the difference between the two takes, and while it’s hard to recreate the intimacy of the originals, the new cuts give a stadium-sized (or at the very least middle of three at Jerry’s On Front) feel to the material. The original versions transcend their limited recording setup to prove just why Gill’s songs are so endearing no matter how many decibels are behind them. It’s bedroom pop at its finest. The re-cuts let that ‘90s glee into the mix, feeling like college-rock radio is alive and kicking even though the shadow of CMJ has long gone dark. The revisited version of the record arrives June 25th from DDW.

Famous Orig:

Bigger and bolder:

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