Smoking Popes
“Don’t You Want Me” (The Human League Cover, featuring Deanna Belos of Sincere Engineer)
Release Date: 6/30/2023
by Scott Hefflon
The ever-amazing Smoking Popes release their first new song since 2018’s Into The Agony, a cover of The Human League’s classic “Don’t You Want Me.” Filmed at Centennial Park in Orland Park, IL, the video has bespectacled and buttoned-up singer Josh Caterer storming through the park, joined by Deanna Belos of Sincere Engineer, as they trade the barbs and veiled threats of the lyrics.
Good to hear punky guitars replace the fragile synths of the New Wave original, yet it is tempered by Josh’s delicate vibrato (and that tender catch-in-the-throat), so it’s not bombastic. Deanna’s voice is strong, feminine, and heartfelt, not diva showoff or gutter-punk snarl. Their voices work well together, and it’s obvious they’re having fun, charging along the path.
