B-Side Guys

“End of Beginning,” filtered through Maudlin Strangers’ lens, transforms Joe Keery aka Djo’s viral sensation into something that feels less like a cover and more like an alternate timeline version of itself. Jake Hays and his reconstituted lineup have managed to honor the original’s nostalgic pull while crafting something that stands distinctly apart.

After emerging from a seven-year hiatus, Maudlin Strangers approaches this interpretation with the confidence of a band that understands both reinvention and respect. Their decision to amplify the dynamic range doesn’t just serve personal preference – it creates new emotional peaks and valleys in a song already rich with seasonal melancholy.

The production choices feel particularly considered. Where Djo’s original leans into psychedelic haziness to create its nostalgic effect, Maudlin Strangers opts for a more muscular approach that benefits from the four-piece arrangement. Alexander Morgan’s guitar/keys work adds textural depth that complements rather than competes with the source material.

What’s especially effective is how the band navigates the song’s central metaphor of summer’s end. The original’s TikTok virality could have tempted a more trend-conscious cover, but Maudlin Strangers – perhaps informed by their experience touring with artists like Cold War Kids and Bad Suns – understand that emotional authenticity travels further than algorithmic appeal.

The reimagined bridge section proves the band’s most daring choice. Rather than merely recreating Keery’s psychedelic departures, they forge their own path while maintaining the emotional throughline. Richie Gonzales’s drums and Drew Bruchs’s bass work establish a foundation that allows the arrangement to explore new territory without losing its way.

Most impressive is how the band manages to acknowledge both the song’s current cultural moment and its timeless elements. This isn’t just a cover trying to draft off TikTok success – it’s a genuine reinterpretation by artists who understand the material’s deeper resonance.

The Los Angeles outfit’s history – from their 2015 BMG/Vagrant debut through their hiatus and return – seems to inform their approach to themes of endings and beginnings. There’s a lived experience in their interpretation that adds weight to the original’s meditation on transience and change.

This version suggests Maudlin Strangers’ resurrection isn’t just a reunion but a genuine artistic renewal. They’ve taken a song about endings and used it to announce a new beginning, proving that sometimes the best way to honor influential work is to make it unmistakably your own.