Pentatonix dropped a cover of “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel on Friday (Feb. 15).
The group’s interpretation of the folk duo’s classic 1965 hit — which spent two weeks at No 1. on the Billboard Hot 100 — kicks off quietly, with Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Matt Sallee and Kirsten Maldonado trading lead vocals as the song steadily builds with the help of the quintet’s signature five-part harmonies.
By the final verse, the cover soars as PTX join forces on bombastic lyrics like, “And the people bowed and prayed/ To the neon god they made/ And the sign flashed out its warning/ In the words that it was forming/ And the sign said, ‘The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls/ And tenement halls/ And whispered in the sounds of silence,’” over Kevin Olusola’s crashing vocal percussion.
This spring, the Grammy-winning a cappella group is set to embark on a 2019 world tour, which kicks off May 11 in Oakland, Calif., with 45 dates across North America before heading around the world.
Hear Pentatonix’s cover of “The Sound of Silence” below.
