Changes (Shlohmo Remix) - LOL Boys - Changes EP (2012, Friends of Friends)

With a name like LOL Boys, you wouldn’t be blamed for expecting a blend of vapid party-starters à la LMFAO. Indeed, the duo have been making a name for themselves with happy, party-orentated tracks, and the video for their most recent single Changes continues this aesthetic, featuring an enthusiastic mashup of fans filming themselves mouthing along to the song. But the tone of the song is somewhat more contemplative, especially the lyrics provided by Heart Streets (“Things won’t change until we talk…”). Indeed, there’s a noticeably more serious tone creeping in behind the innocent, carefree instrumentals across the whole EP.

But once the track is placed in Shlohmo’s hands, any trace of vapid jubilance is gone. The LA producer replaces the MIDI-heavy instrumentation of the original with a Burial-esque blend of muffled synths and shuffling beats, through which Heart Street’s pitch-shifted vocals float and dive. The result is a beautifully melancholic track, a remix which sounds completely organic.