Cheery holiday music step aside — Phoebe Bridgers is here to replace the joys of the season with melancholy after releasing a cover of a Tom Waits classic. To usher in the holiday season, Bridgers delivers a solemn and leisurely cover of Waits’ 2004 song “Day After Tomorrow.”
Waits’ original version of the track features his husky vocals over a delicately plucked acoustic guitar. But Bridgers’ version transforms the track into a piano ballad with the help of a few string instruments and a backup chorus. Though the song isn’t exactly merry and bright, Bridgers is still maintaining the giving spirit of the season by making the song benefit a charity. All proceeds from the sale of the track will go to The International Institute of Los Angeles, specifically The Local Integration And Family Empowerment Division, which provides refugees, immigrants, and survivors of human trafficking with the skills, abilities, and resources they need to become self-sufficient and start their new lives in Southern California.
This isn’t the first time Bridgers has recorded a cover of a song to ring in the holiday season. In fact, it’s become somewhat of a yearly tradition for the singer. Previously, Bridgers has given renditions of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December,” Simon & Garfunkel “‘7 O’Clock News/ Silent Night” with Fiona Apple and The National‘s Matt Berninger,” and McCarthy Trenching’s “Christmas Song” with Jackson Browne.
Listen to Bridgers’ cover of Waits’ “Day After Tomorrow” above.