We’re in a love-hate relationship with Ariana Grande‘s “Problem.” It’s catchy as hell, but we spend the vast majority of those three minutes trying to understand the mush-mouthed verses. The Iggy Azalea-rapped breakdown is awesome, sure. In general, though, we just didn’t 100 percent feel the song. That is until Rixton released their cover today. To say it’s better than the original would be an understatement.
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Rixton’s cover of “Problem” just blew our minds and we think it’ll blow yours, too.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with Rixton. Their first single, “Me and My Broken Heart,” isn’t an easily skipped song. It’s the classic, catchy pop song and we eat it up. However, it doesn’t fully showcase the British boys’ full range of talents. At least not like their “Problem” cover does. These dudes have not only clearly mastered the art of close harmony, but they’re geniuses at song arrangement. They’ve taken a decent pop song and meticulously reworked and perfectly voiced it into something brand new.
Then, again, it’s not hard to make something sound “perfectly voiced” after what Grande did to the song. We love the newest bubble gum princess to hit the charts. But we can all agree that her high-pitched, fast-paced vocals through the verses are often unintelligible. Rixton’s lead singer, Jake Roche, tightened up the vocals and made them considerably more recognizable.
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They also completely redid the backing music and arrangement of the song. It’s a mix of ’90s R&B over vintage rock guitar shredding that is still somehow classically pop perfection. Add in their barbershop harmonies and finger snapping — and the fact that they 86’ed the unnecessary whispers — and you’re looking at an entirely new track.
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It’s hard to say this nicely, but we think it needs to be said: Rixton’s version of “Problem” is the one that should be all over the radio right now. In just three minutes, the new band has proven they’re the ones who should be topping the charts right now and not the actress-turned-singer, Grande. Hear that noise? It’s the sound of millions of girls throwing their panties as Rixton and signing up to be their next problem.
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