Francis Blume - “A Real Hero” (College cover)

San Diego’s own Francis Blume is a singer-songwriter who conjures a stripped-down, majestic swirl of old school rock n’ roll, folk, pop, and outlaw country in the vein of Roy Orbison. You can dive into tracks like “Sad Boy” and “Señorita” off his album excellent LP Lado De Loma if you’d like to play some catch up. In the meantime, he’s got a new track out, and it’s a truly unique cover of College’s classic 2010 track “A Real Hero.”

Back in the late 00s and early 2010s, College racked up some indie buzz notoriety for their celestial synthwave tunes, and together with Electric Youth, their gorgeous track “A Real Hero” was a real favorite in the late indie sleaze era. Now, Blume has re-imagined the track in his own country-tinged singer-songwriter style, and the result is breathtaking. Here, Blume’s beautifully soft croon steers the ship over a twangy acoustic guitar. Throw some headphones on, and it’ll feel like Blume is in the room playing for you up-close - such is the level of intimacy this track induces.

Blume’s been busy these days, with a recent string of singles under his belt, including “Anne Marie” and last year’s “Taxman.” You can check out all of those tracks, including “A Real Hero,” below.