With a punky reimaging of The Rolling Stones's classic "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)," Detroit rockers The New Old are at it again and stripping rock 'n' roll down to its raw, unfiltered essence. Released as the third single from their forthcoming second album, "Ain't Dead Yet," this version is a full-throttle, grease-stained, motor-revving declaration that pure rock energy is eternal.
The Stones nailed the gold standard with the original, but The New Old takes that sleazy swagger and injects it with a Midwestern-blue-collar Detroit soul. This is not a note-for-note homage; it's a reimagining that drips with the grit and muscle of a band that knows its way around a smoky dive bar stage. The guitars snarl sharper, the drums smash like a factory line hammering metal, and the vocals oscillate in the ideal ratio of defiance to veneration.
If the original had that devil-may-care looseness, The New Old tighten the bolts enough to make this classic their battle cry. Sweat in every note, attitude in every snare hit, and an undeniable fire in how they rip through the song, like a muscle car blowing past on Woodward Avenue.
Nothing's changed lyrically because why mess with perfection? The anthem of rock 'n' roll's self-celebration is unchanged, but the way The New Old presents it gives the song a new jolt of energy, the kind of shot of whiskey that burns just the right amount. Theirs is a version that reminds you why this song endures, why rock 'n' roll endures, and why some songs don't belong to just one band but to the spirit of the genre.
"It's Only Rock' n' Roll (But I Like It)" is the right taste of what's coming. It's noisy and filthy, and they don't care if you love it because they do. And frankly, you'd be hard-pressed not to. So crank it up, roll the windows down, and let The New Old remind you that rock 'n' roll, in its unpolished, high-voltage glory, isn't going anywhere. It's still kicking, and as long as bands like this keep the amps cranked, it never will be.
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