Iress What Was I Made For Single Review

Californian Doomgaze band, Iress have released their latest single and surprisingly it’s a cover of Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For”. Thanks to my wife being an Eilish fan, I’ve heard her music more than I’d prefer and like to admit. HA! I was familiar enough with the tune that I recognized the melody, and I knew I’d heard it before. I checked Eilish’s version again for comparison’s sake. Eilish’s version is a bit anticlimactic next to Iress’s version. The original version is quiet and lacks a punch, there’s very little feeling outside of the Eilish’s voice and the lyrics. To be blunt, it’s boring as hell.

I’m not a fan of current Pop music, so I can’t relate to it at all. Iress immediately makes this song their own by adding lush dreamscapes centered around beefy riffs and a to-die-for rhythm section. There’s no point in the tune where it’s phoned in. Iress instead concentrates on the melody, the rise and fall and the natural crescendo of the song which makes it much more interesting and believable. It’s a real piece of music now, whereas before it was generic. Michelle Malley’s vocals are stunning, she has a beautiful angelic like voice, and she knows exactly how to emote and use it. Naturally, the track reminds me of the mid-90’s era of female artists – Nina Gordon, Mazzy Star and The Sundays come to mind. And just to get the cred of a Bonafide Eilish fan, my wife listened in with me and she feels the same – she said this version is better than the original and she also says the lyrics are more relatable now.

What a brilliant single, we can only hope this single will help to catapult Iress into the musical stratosphere. We will certainly be cheering the band on, you should too, don’t miss out on this one just because it’s a Pop cover – this ain’t your typical Pop music!

~Black Angel