[Cover photo credit to Rob Williamson]

Electro/New Wave-inspired project Candy Whips has released a new single, a cover of “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” by Heaven17.

Wendy Stonehenge, who spearheads the project says:

After the doo-wop covers EP Moonlight that I released last year, I wasn’t planning on doing more covers for a while. But I was listening to Heaven 17, the pertinence of the lyrics really jumped out at me. This song was originally released 45 years ago, and it’s more relevant than ever. I decided it needed to be given a new life.

Candy Whips’ interpretation of the ‘80s hit slows down the tempo but amplifies the dance groove, also focusing on the lyrics.

Stonehenge explains:

I knew I had to really reinvent this song in order to pull it off. I mean, I couldn’t do a faithful cover even if I wanted to. The basslines of Heaven 17’s John Wilson are insane. My version is much more stripped down but also even more danceable..this is the first time I’ve made a straight up dance track. It was a fun challenge to work outside of my usual comfort zone.

“(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” follows Candy Whip’s cover EP Moonlight, which features doo wop versions of The Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes For You,” Marvin and Johnny’s “Cherry Pie,” and the Chordettes/Pat Ballard’s girl group classic “Mr. Sandman.”

Known as a member of the Northern California Glam Rock band Glitter Wizard, Stonehenge formed Candy Whips as a side project during the pandemic. Using this project as an outlet for music that didn’t fit his other band’s Glamrock mold, he explored Synthpop in a more focused way, fusing Punk and Electronic.

“(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” is out now and is available via Kitten Robot on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Deezer, Amazon, and YouTube.