Cornering the market on huge hooks and hummable melodies, Bobby Amaru, best known as the energetically charismatic frontman of platinum hard rock band Saliva, now joins forces here with burgeoning social media homebody Veda, whose inherent vocal chops and star power have led the father-daughter pair to accumulate over 2.4 million followers on TikTok. The pair's online chemistry and forthrightness have been impossible to look away from, but this single sets out to prove that they are more than online viral videos and that their talents and artistry are more real than would seem possible.
Fitting with Judge & Jury, the cover wastes no time establishing its identity. While the former was minimal and melancholy, the latter replaced sullen restraint with a gush of feeling. Stadium-calling guitar lines and sizzling drums drive the tension of his bubbles of past love meets present pain as Bobby's gruff tones add realism and power. Veda's voice, meanwhile, slices clean through, a bright edge to her accented vowels, the delivery underpinned with openness and defiance. The charged dynamic between the two makes this duet a family dialogue haunted by unexpressed history, and the intensity matches perfectly.
The song's arrangement walks the line between clarity and chaos, evidenced by Judge & Jury's production sheen but still allowing the grit to breathe. The track defies the original, taking the piece's emotional heft to new heights courtesy of Bobby's mastery of hard rock fundamentals. This is not only a powerful new era for Bobby Amaru with Veda but a musical partnership that feels effortless, and this electricity is rarely seen. "Somebody That I Used to Know" might look like a song of submission, but this is a body slam of a cover. What is certain is that this family duo is just warming up noisily.
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