In the ’80s, the Hated, a young punk band from Maryland, discovered a ragged, melodic, passionate sound that set them apart from their hardcore peers. The Hated’s music prefigured the Revolution Summer, post-hardcore, emo, and a whole lot of other developments that would leave a huge impact on future generations. The band broke up in 1989, and the Numero Group released a box set of their music last year. Earlier this year, the Hated reunited for the Numero Twenty festival, and they played their first show since 1989 at a fire hall in Maryland. (Chris Richards’ Washington Post story about the reunion is just incredible.)

Plenty of people have covered the Hated over the years, and now we get a very different take on their anthemic 1985 song “Words Come Back.” Helen Ballentine releases soft, shimmering music under the name Skullcrusher; her full-length debut Quiet The Room came out last year. Today, as a stand-alone Numero Group single, Ballentine has offered up a very, very different take on “Words Come Back.” In a press release, Ballentine says:

I was immediately drawn to the lyrics of “Words Come Back” and loved that it sounds so different from anything I’ve ever made. I wanted to try capturing the intensity of the song in a different way… This is my way of making a punk song, ignoring structure and letting everything just pour out — though quite a bit quieter.

Below, listen to Skullcrusher’s version of “Words Come Back” and the Hated’s 1985 original.

Skullcrusher’s “Words Come Back” cover is out now on Numero Group.