The Last Generation On Film Float Through Childish Gambino's "Sober"

The Last Generation On Film, photo courtesy of the artist

Emerging and enigmatic synthpop duo, The Last Generation On Film, released their debut EP Repetitions, earlier in 2020, and now they’re kicking off a wave of new, amped-up sound with a cover from Childish Gambino. While it’s an ambitious task to try and reimagine a track by the off-kilter genre-defying giant, The Last Generation On Film’s Jeff Familetti and Ryan Bayler manage to transform the glistening hip hop track into a hazy and ethereal beat reliant on smooth vocal lines and a dripping, fuzzed-out soundscape.

Any Gambino track is complicatedly layered to begin with, and The Last Generation On Film’s take has an equal amount of depth. The cover is definitely dialed back in speed, but not in force. Despite the languorous rhythm, there are interspersed moments of ripping guitar solos and synthetic riffs that prevent the track from listening like a monotonous bedroom project. The band took a lot of creative liberties when it came to style, and all of their choices stripped the song back to its skeleton, leaving the base melody, and incorporating their signature edgy synthetic tone. Both versions take advantage of breaking down the bridge with a powerful change of both key and pace, playing around with the repeating line “now I’m so high," and the loop combined with the atmospheric drop emphasizes a lack of control that comes with giving in to letting go.

The track builds with swirling moments of electronic keys and percussion that hiss and echo underneath mellow filtered vocals until there’s an anthemic climax that puts you in the same floating headspace. The comedown is just as satisfying, despite the fact that the song closes on a moment that lacks resolution. Where Gambino’s original track is bright and in instrumentation, The Last Generation On Film builds an air of mystique with their lack of optimism. Gambino hopes that it isn’t really over, but The Last Generation On Film knows that it is.

You can stream the track below or anywhere else you find music.