The FMs Cover Joy Division

Photo by Dylan Mars Greenberg

Halloween tends to bring us an abundance of Joy Division covers. The first we've found is from The FMs, who expand on the usual songs to bring us a version of "A Means to an End." The new version isn't quite as dark as the original. In fact, in comparison it's almost chipper. Almost. The FMs' version is kind of electroclash and very synth heavy. It's an interesting, and more than a little bit of fun, take on a classic. It's a modern take on the original that has us ready to jump on The FMs' bandwagon. Plus, I'm now firing up some Joy Division, and what more do you want from a cover song?

Matte Namer says of the band's latest single:

“Frankie [Rex, founding member who passed away on May 11, 2022 from a fentanyl overdose] and I were for years tossing around doing a cover song but could never agree on the right one. We’ve always been into Joy Division and actually covered ‘She’s Lost Control’ in our first band. One day I asked Frankie what their favorite Joy Division song was and he said ‘A Means to an End’ and I was like, let’s just do that. I went off the rails on this synth & digi drums-only arrangement trying to harness the chaotic unexpected nature of JD. Frankie did this mind-blowing performance, maybe my favorite thing we’ve ever recorded of their voice in three takes. Our producer for 51112, David Werner, then took our demos, simplified them a bit in a way and put his own spin on a few things that ultimately elevated the recording quite significantly.”

You can listen to The FMs' take on "A Means to an End" below. 51122 is due out November 22. For more on The FMs, check out the band's website.