listen to Beach Slang cover Green Day's "2000 Light Years Away"

While talking about Green Day’s Kerplunk a few months ago, I mentioned a few great modern bands — including Beach Slang — who seemed like they take influence from that album. Now Beach Slang have covered Kerplunk‘s opening track, “2000 Light Years Away.” It’s for a Green Day tribute CD that Kerrang! put together and released with their year-end issue. Here’s what Beach Slang frontman James Alex told Kerrang! about the song:

When I was growing up, two things happened that changed the whole deal for me: 1) I got hip to Play It Again Records [in Bethlehem, PA], and 2) I met Chuck there. The very first mixtape he made me started with 2000 Light Years Away and that started this whole wild run; it shoved me into rock’n’roll.

Like a lot of covers Beach Slang do, they offer a pretty straightforward take on the song but still manage to sound like themselves. It’s fun. A stream of the cover surfaced online, and you can listen here:

Beach Slang are also one of the many bands (along with Joyce Manor, Modern Baseball, Jay Som, Japanese Breakfast, Owen and more) taking part in the latest Polyvinyl singles series. They also revealed that their new touring lineup will have Cully Symington (Okkervil River, Afghan Whigs, Cursive) on drums and Aurore Ounjian (Mean Creek, Potty Mouth) on guitar.