Outstanding Indie covers of 80s hit singles you must listen to now!

For decades, bands have taken old favorites and transformed them into something new for the modern age. Cover songs are often enjoyed by listeners as they stir up feelings of nostalgia. It is always interesting when bands swap musical genres in their cover songs, and below, we have a list of indie bands who have covered popular songs from the 80s.

In 2015, indie-rock band The Wind and the Wave released an album of covers simply titled Covers One, featuring excellent remakes of several familiar songs. This included a wonderful rendition of "Don't You Forget About Me, " a song made popular by the Scottish band Simple Minds. The original song was featured in the John Hughes coming-of-age movie The Breakfast Club.

Spanish indie and folk singer-songwriter Anni B Sweet released an acoustic version of A-ha's 1985 No. 1 hit "Take On Me." The single was used in a television advert for a major fast food chain and would later be featured in an episode of the UK TV show Brassic.

Vance Joy, best known for his 2013 single "Riptide," created a toned-down cover of "Don't Change" by fellow Australian band INXS. The single, which is known for bringing INXS international attention, was performed by Joy on Like a Version, a popular segment featured on Australian youth radio station Triple J.

In 2022, Holly Humberstone created a stripped-down version of "I Would Die 4 U," a song released by  Prince and the Revolution as the fourth single from the 1984  No. 1 album "Purple Rain." The original song was an up-tempo dance song that displayed Prince's passionate vocals, whereas Humberstone created something new with a soulful version.

Katie Melua, who is counted among the UK's best-selling female artists, covered The Cure's first American hit from 1987, "Just Like Heaven." Melua's cover was featured on the soundtrack for the same-titled rom-com starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo, released in 2005. The entire soundtrack for said film is one worth a listen, as it features several original songs and other covers.
The Cure's front man, Robert Smith, considers the single one of the band's strongest.

The Swedish duo First Aid Kit released a cover of Don Henley's 1984 single, "The Boys Of Summer," for which Henley won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1986. First Aid Kit's version is a harmonious folk song filled with emotion that they hoped would be a "sweet soundtrack to the rest of your summer." The Ataris and The Lightning Kids have also covered the song.

Above is just a small sampling of some of the best indie covers of 80s songs. Listen to the extensive playlist below, which features a massive list of popular songs recreated in a scaled-down indie and folk style.