Capital Cities has covered “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the Prince-penned song that Sinead O’Connor transformed into a #1 hit in 1990 with the help of her co-producer Nelle Hooper. No stranger to tackling others’ tunes, having previously recorded renditions of Madonna’s “Holiday” and Pink Floyd’s “Breathe,”  the Los Angeles synthpop duo offers this peek into their process:

“Working on covers is a sacred exercise for Capital Cities. We meticulously pick songs that we love and then explore them until new harmonic and rhythmic ideas emerge, hopefully bringing a freshness to a timeless melody and lyric. It’s an exciting process that always leaves us in awe of how brilliant our musical predecessors were.”

Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian have certainly steered clear of the expected with their cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Capital Cities’ danceable (!) midtempo rendition of the single-tear soaked ballad recalls the brassy sound of Chicago’s jazz-pop days and the percussive touches of Graceland-era Paul Simon.

Free download of Capital Cities – “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Sinead O’Connor cover) via the player above.