Liam Purcell and AJ Lee & Blue Summit transform Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” into a driving bluegrass duet. The new Pinecastle Records single is available now.

For Purcell, the arrangement did not begin as a studio assignment. He first attempted the bluegrass conversion as a high school student experimenting in GarageBand.

A High School Demo Finds Its Missing Voice

Purcell grew up rebuilding favorite songs with bluegrass instruments. His homemade arrangements crossed classic rock, pop, country and electronic music, but “Somebody That I Used to Know” presented a particular problem.

The original recording depends on the tension between Gotye and Kimbra. Purcell could arrange the instrumental parts, but the song never felt complete without a second vocalist.

“This was one of those songs I did back in high school for the first time,” Purcell said. “But it was never right without the female vocals.”

Years later, Purcell became friends with AJ Lee while touring. When he rediscovered the old demo, he knew whose voice could finish it.

Purcell and Lee retain the song’s conversational structure while replacing its atmospheric pop production with acoustic strings and bluegrass momentum. They also used the backing vocals and mix to preserve some of the original recording’s character.

“Her voice fits the track so perfectly, and it was an honor to collaborate with her on the project,” Purcell said.

‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ Gets Grassed Up

Gotye released the original song with Kimbra in 2011. It later reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the decade’s most recognizable pop recordings.

The bluegrass version arrives during the song’s 15th anniversary year. However, Purcell and Lee do more than exchange electronic production for banjo and mandolin. The quicker arrangement changes the emotional temperature, turning the breakup conversation into something more restless and immediate.

The release also continues Pinecastle Records’ recent interest in rebuilding familiar songs through bluegrass. Lorraine Jordan and The Country Grass Show recently gave “Louisiana Saturday Night” a full string-band transformation.

Purcell brings unusual instrumental range to the project. In 2022, he became the first musician to win the mandolin, banjo and guitar divisions at the RockyGrass Instrumental Championships in the same year.

He formed Cane Mill Road as a teenager before studying at Berklee College of Music. That background helps explain why this particular cover works: Purcell treats bluegrass as a musical language capable of carrying songs far beyond its traditional catalog.

Listen to Liam Purcell and AJ Lee & Blue Summit’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.”