Caylee Hammack is joined by Everclear’s Art Alexakis for a new rendition of the Nineties alt-rock smash “I Will Buy You a New Life” released on Wednesday. The collaboration comes on the heels of Alexakis’ surprise appearance in the Justin Clough-directed video for Hammack’s single “Just Friends.”
Hammack’s rendition of the 1998 hit stays mostly faithful to the original arrangement, mixing chunky power chords with its hyper-melodic hook. She and Alexakis take turns singing the verses, with Hammack showing off the firepower in her voice as she nimbly climbs an octave above Alexakis and then drifts down into perfect harmony. Their back-and-forth culminates in the bridge section, where Hammack sings the “Will you please let me stay the night” part and then howls in tune with Alexakis.
Hammack’s debut album If It Wasn’t for You was stuffed with the Georgia native’s diverse influences. The opening track “Just Friends” came with a couple of distinct sections, the second of which showed the singer’s deep appreciation for Nineties alt-rock.
“It was two different song ideas,” she told Rolling Stone in August. “I had written both of those verses with two different feels. The first one felt like I was tipping my hat to Dolly, the next part felt like I was tipping my hat to Everclear.”