Porridge Radio have released a transcendent cover of ‘Happy In A Crowd’, first released by Chicago singer-songwriter Bobby Burg through his project Love Of Everything.

In a statement, frontwoman Dana Margolin explained that she was inspired to cover the track – which first appeared on Burg’s 2000 album ‘Drinking. Feeling.’ – after performing with Love Of Everything in 2016, then a member of the band Garden Centre.

“I remember watching Bobby perform for the first time and being completely captivated,” she said.

“A song that really stuck with me was ‘Happy In A Crowd’, and this bleak January I learnt how to play it on guitar after Bobby randomly got in touch, and sent my cover to Sam [Yardley] who had never heard the song before.

“We made this cover together, with Sam producing it, and we’re really happy with how it turned out. I feel like something has come full circle through releasing this cover and I’m so glad we get to share it.”

Listen to Porridge Radio’s cover of ‘Happy In A Crowd’ below:

The cover follows Porridge Radio’s take on ‘Wet Road’ by Scout Niblett, which they released in April as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations for their label, Secretly Canadian.

Porridge Radio released their Mercury Prize-nominated second album, ‘Every Bad’, in March of 2020. It boasted the singles ‘Sweet’, and ‘Circling’.

In a five-star review for NME, writer Rhian Daly praised ‘Every Bad’ as “an intoxicating reflection on trying to figure out life in your mid-twenties and the consequences of inhabiting a world that gets increasingly more fucked up by the day”.

The LP was followed shortly thereafter by the standalone singles ‘Good For You’ (a collaboration with Chicago-based artist Lala Lala), ’7 Seconds’, ’Circling Something’ (which appeared on the NHS-supporting compilation ‘Group Therapy Vol. 1’) and ‘The Last Time I Saw You (O Christmas)’, as well as a guest spot on the Lost Horizons track ‘One For Regret’.

In January, the band teamed up with Irish songwriter Piglet for the singles ‘Let’s Not Fight’ and ‘Strong Enough’.

An expanded version of ‘Every Bad’, which features eight new tracks including remixes by Dream Wife, umru and Himera, was released earlier this year.

Porridge Radio are set to perform at the 2021 edition of the North Yorkshire Deer Shed Festival next month, co-headlining alongside Dream Wife and Jane Weaver. They’ll also appear at the Visions festival in London on August 7, playing as part of an up-and-comer-focussed bill that features headliner Billy Nomates.

On September 4, the band will perform as part of the multi-venue Manchester Psych Fest lineup, which also features Stereolab, Tinariwen, Dry Cleaning and Girl Band. The following week, they’ll trek over to Glasgow to play support for Biffy Clyro, sharing the stage with Yungblud and Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes.

The band will kick 2022 off with a set at the Rockaway Beach festival in Bognor Regis, the bill for which they top alongside JARV…IS (aka Jarvis Cocker) and Tricky.