The ‘Punk Goes’ series is an iconic collection of compilations. Released yearly by Fearless Records, the albums feature a whole lot of your favourite bands covering pop bangers from years past.

Not every cover hits the mark of course, but the Punk Goes series has provided  us with come serious gems over the years.

All Time Low – Umbrella (Rihanna cover)

This song was ahead of its time. Punk Goes Crunk came out in 2007, which is probably why it got away with being called Punk Goes Crunk.  A young Alex Gaskarth can be found lending his vocals to this fantastic pop punk cover of one of the decades’ most iconic songs. Umbrella endures as a classic pop hit, and All Time Low have done it justice with this cover.

Tonight Alive – Little Lion Man (Mumford & Sons cover)

TA’s Little Lion Man cover absolutely rips. It has been a fan favourite for years, and is most certainly one of the best covers on any Punk Goes album there is. The band covered it live for a long time, and frontwoman Jenna McDougall never failed to hit every note in the vocally intense chorus.

State Champs – Stay The Night (ZEDD ft. Hayley Williams cover)

The quintet made an ambitious move when they chose to cover an EDM track, but the risk they took paid off. Using guitars in place of the thumping beats, State Champs managed to both keep the song true to form, but made it their own. Vocalist Derek DiScanio’s vocal style suited the song really well, and enabled the band to keep in many of the higher vocal parts, originally performed by Hayley Williams.

The Maine – Pour Some Sugar On Me (Def Leppard cover)

WHAT. A. COVER. The iconic guitar riff rings out beneath John O’Callaghan’s gorgeous vocals, giving us a spicy rendition of a hair metal classic. The song is Def Leppard‘s most iconic release to date, and though the cover isn’t too different to the original, it pays homage to the ripper tune well.

Mayday Parade ft. Vic Fuentes – Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye cover)

OH MAN. POSSIBLY THE BEST OF ALL TIME. THE GOAT OF PUNK GOES COVERS.

This is the GOAT of all Punk Goes covers. Derek Sanders’ voice fits the song perfectly, and apart from a few odd lyrics, this could pass as a Mayday Parade original. The inclusion of Pierce The Veil frontman Vic Fuentes in place of Kimbra’s guest vocal spot in the bridge was a fantastic choice by the band. This cover is a 10/10 and deserves more recognition.

Sleeping With Sirens – F**k You (Cee-Lo Green cover)

This cover bounces from start to finish with the help of some mean double pedal driving the song. Kellin Quinn’s sweet vocals almost feel out of place singing the aggressive break-up track, but gosh does this cover rock. Having chosen to cover the original version, it is peppered with colourful language, which is in stark contrast to the rest of the SWS discography.

Set It Off – Problem (Ariana Grande cover)

This Ariana Grande cover is SO much fun. Featuring a brass section AND sampling a line from TLC’s timeless hit No Scrubs, this song is a perfect example of a band really making a cover their own. Set It Off have done some other great covers, most notably their collaboration with Against The Current on an incredibly rendition of Uptown Funk.

The Cab – Disturbia (Rihanna cover)

*bam bam be dum dum bam be dum dum*. Just like the song they chose to cover, The Cab were also somewhat peaking in 2008. Disturb is yet another Rihanna classic, and Alexander DeLeon’s pop-skewed vocals work well on the song. One of Punk Goes’ best for sure.

Silverstein – Apologise (One Republic cover)

Though far less known by the New wave of young emos, Silverstein have been influential in the pop punk scene for a long time. Their cover of One Republic’s ‘Apologise’ is phenomenal.

This Century – Paper Planes (M.I.A cover)

R.I.P This Century. Associated with acts like The Maine and A Rocket To The Moon back in the day, This Century were popular in the pop punk scene. They produced this lit cover of the timeless tune Paper Planes by rap goddess M.I.A in their time as the band, and it continues to bless our ears today.

The Maine – I Wanna Love You (Akon cover)

This is the most ridiculous cover The Maine have released to date; hearing John O’Callaghan singing about seeing a girl “winding, grinding, up on that pole” is not something we ever anticipated hearing, but now it is just one. Of those things that we didn’t know we needed until it was here.

Go Radio – Rolling In The Deep (Adele cover)

Go Radio may have disbanded, but their cover of Rolling In The Deep still starts the fire in our hearts, brings a fever pitch, and brings us out the dark. Originally by Adele (which if you didn’t know you have been living under a rock), the song was one of her breakout singles. This beefy cover definitely does it justice.

Tyler Carter ft. Luke Holland – Ain’t It Fun (Paramore cover)

It was a bit strange to see a Paramore song being covered on Punk Goes Pop, but since the cover is indeed very fun, we’ll let this one slide. Tyler Carter of ISSUES provides a stunning vocal performance, backed up by well known session musician Luke Holland on the drums. This cover locks, pops, jams and breaks like nobodies business.

What’s your favourite Punk Goes cover of all time?

The article was originally published on Don't Bore Us