Some of the better covers out there are acoustic executions. Stripping away the original layers, leaving nothing more than an instrument or two quickly sets the new take far apart from the old, particularly useful when picking more familiar tunes from the musical canon.

The xx’s “Shelter” doesn’t exactly suffer from such overexposure — well, maybe in certain indie circles — but the song presents the exact opposite opportunity, one that Hercules and Love Affair have exploited brilliantly. In the hands of Andy Butler and crew (including vocalist Kim Ann Foxman), The xx’s hushed ballad becomes a pulsating house anthem, the negative image of the original’s minimalism. Hear here:

Originally the b-side to Hercules and Love Affair’s “Painted Eyes” single issued this past spring, their cover of “Shelter” made its official U.S. debut last month as a bonus track on the outfit’s sophomore set, Blue Songs.

Butler’s already working on the next Hercules and Love Affair album, telling NME that he’s written six potential tracks, including one that sounds like Robin S. I sure wouldn’t mind a complementary cover of “Show Me Love.”

Purchase Hercules and Love Affair – “Shelter” (The xx cover) via iTunes.