PJ Harvey, photo by Steve Gullick
PJ Harvey and Tim Phillips, kindred creators, join forces once again for a reimagined version of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, created for the Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters. This cover, released through Hollywood Records, hums with new life. Harvey’s take on the beloved classic dares to dance, paced briskly, with a tenderness that is both aching and defiant.
Where the original lay drenched in sorrow and despondency, this rendition carries a more resilient rhythm, propelled by organ strains that whisper of rebirth, renewal, and the curious magic in endings. It’s been transformed into a hymn that wonders aloud: when something shatters, might new beginnings bloom in the breaking?
“It was a huge pleasure to be invited to step into the studio again with Tim Phillips,” says Harvey. “Having formed friendships with Tim and Sharon on season 1, there was a level of trust and openness which was conducive to creativity. Our version of Love Will Tear Us Apart is full of the passion we hold for the original song, but also imbued with the spirit of the new series and its narrative.”
Tim Phillips, a Canadian-British composer and songwriter, conjures worlds through his music for television, film, and theater. He co-created the West End marvel The Grinning Man, a tale that first graced Trafalgar Studios in December 2017. His scores ripple through screens, from the gentle whimsy of the BBC’s Esio Trot to the electric hum of HBO’s Entourage, and the eerie tones of Starz’s Shining Vale and Becoming Elizabeth. As Co-Artistic Director of Filter Theatre, which he co-founded in 2003, Phillips has shaped groundbreaking productions that have roamed far and wide. His voice even lent warmth to Murray Gold’s Song for Ten in Doctor Who’s 2005 Christmas special, The Christmas Invasion.
“I’m super excited to see the reaction to S2 of Bad Sisters and I think audiences will love where this story goes next,” gushes Phillips. “It was a thrill to get back into the studio with Polly Harvey and make some new sounds, and the fact that most of the original production team returned made it even better!”
Listen below:
You can also check out the Bad Sisters soundtrack below:
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