One of the hidden pleasures of music is not understanding a song upon first listen, then listening to it again and understanding it completely. However, many music fans aren't exactly the most open to a sort of listening experience that's discursive, instead choosing the path of least resistance. To many, the path of least resistance involves thing like "melody" and "coherence."
The Pete Swanson remix of How to Dress Well's "Cold Nites" is not an immediately rewarding song. It strips the original "Cold Nites" of its orchestral, melodic charm, replacing it with harsh, throbbing noise. You've still got the fragile tenor of How To Dress Well's Tom Krell, but in this context it sounds like he's trying to fight against the track, as if he's trapped in a sonic cage. It's as elliptically affecting as Krell's music is directly affecting. Sometimes, if you work hard enough you get more out of it.
Hear the remix below:
