Premiere: Lianne La Havas - Forget (Kwes rework)

LianneLa Havas’ latest single begs for sparse simplicity, with its lyrics asking to “pack away every verse and every rhyme” and its desperate, clinging notes. It’s a mark of the genius of Kwes, then, that in his deft rework, ‘Forget’ becomes every inch as lonely, as echoing and as haunting as its lyrics suggest it is.

Answering the call for the packing away of extravagance and poetics, Kwes transforms this delicate, broken-hearted ballad into a robust chant against the very essence of love songs. Blisteringly de-constructed and raw, this remix lays Lianne’s aching voice on a metallic platter of sombre echoes, rattling beats and melancholic vocals added by the man himself. It would seem fitting to say that this is what heartbreak sounds like, if it didn’t sound so good.

Stream it below, exclusively at Dummy.