Over a year after its official U.S. release, Ellie Goulding‘s “Lights” is making its way up the Billboard Hot 100. In its 24th week on the chart, the British singer-songwriter’s sparkling synthpop single sits at #17 with a bullet.

Slow and steady may yet win the race for Goulding, a reward for her frequent touring and promotion on these shores, but it also means we’re less likely to hear new tunes from her any time soon. Even after the title track finally peaks, her 2010 debut offers several strong follow-up picks, like “Starry Eyed,” a UK #4 hit, or the breezy “This Love (Will Be Your Downfall).”

Maybe that’s why Goulding posted a cover of The Weeknd’s “High For This” last Wednesday as a free download, just for the thrill of putting her voice to something fresh. She teamed with producer Xaphoon Jones to take on the sludge-in-space slow jam, the opening track on the Canadian R&B mixtape master’s 2011 debut, House Of Balloons.

If such unofficial diversions allow Goulding to keep her musical limbs loose while Lights runs its course, I’m all for more.

Free download of Ellie Goulding – “High For This” (The Weeknd cover) via SoundCloud. Download all of The Weeknd’s mixtapes for free via his website.

UPDATE: Monsieur Adi has remixed Goulding’s cover, kindly offered as a free download via SoundCloud.