WATCH: Desire The Vibe Drop A Pop-Punk Minicover of Hilary Duff’s “Come Clean” With Mel Torres
WATCH: Desire The Vibe Drop A Pop-Punk Minicover of Hilary Duff’s “Come Clean” With Mel Torres
This really is the cover none of us knew we needed.
Words By: Bre Offenberger
TikTok user @jacksonbengtsson uploaded a video Thursday with a snippet of Desire The Vibe‘s minicover of the Hilary Duff classic “Come Clean,” and let’s just say — it really is what dreams are made of.
@jacksonbengtssonCOME CLEAN ❤️ ##popgoespunk ##punkgoespop ##punkgoes ##poppunk ##poppunkisntdead ##poppunkmusic ##defendpoppunk2021 ##emo ##goth ##scene ##alt ##queer ##nb ##trans♬ original sound – Jackson Bengtsson
Jackson Bengtsson and Josh Wildhorn — the vocalist and guitarist, respectively, for the band Designer Disguise — are joined by drummer Mel Torres for the cover of a lifetime. In the TikTok, Bengtsson [who uses she/her pronouns] introduces herself and tells the viewer to “stop and vibe for a while” — which is advice you’ll undoubtedly want to follow. The TikTok starts midway through the track’s first chorus, with Bengtsson gorgeously singing over a shimmering guitar riff and padded drums. Nothing has sounded quite as Bengtsson letting go of her run to add a flair of pop-punk bliss to the recognizable chorus as Wildhorn lets it rip, and Torres goes ham. The TikTok unfortunately cuts off halfway through the chorus, but there’s an even longer version of the cover on Desire The Vibe‘s YouTube channel that came out last October.
The one-minute and 16-second YouTube video thankfully starts at the beginning of the iconic track, with spacey synths whistling in the background as Bengtsson superbly starts vocalizing with her own harmonies grazing the already perfect surface. Wildhorn soars on the guitar as Torres doesn’t look down while drumming, taking in the surreal, unforgettable moment of which he knows he’s a part. Before you know it, you’re back to the TikTok snippet you’ve most likely already had on repeat 10 times. The last 15 seconds or so are new, with the guitar picking up steam before it all ends too soon.
Bengtsson and Wildhorn — other than working on Desire The Vibe’s YouTube channel, where they work on production and covers together — are a part of Designer Disguise, a genre-bending band that spans the spectrum ranging from metalcore to pop to hip-hop. Torres runs Rare Catalyst Studios and has his own YouTube channel, where he posts vlogs and drum covers. He’s also in a band called InGhosts. The three of them coming together for this cover was literally a match made in heaven.
Unfortunately, the cover doesn’t seem to be available on any streaming services — however with thousands of comments begging for a full version perhaps the pressure will get to them. Though it’s only a minicover that doesn’t even reach 90 seconds, it’s a life-changing whirlwind of a ride. It’ll not only bring you back to the good ole days when Duff ruled the world, but it’s a reminder of just how good covers can be. This should definitely be on the next Punk Goes Pop album, so keep on the lookout for that and more brilliant covers from these artists.
