Australian grunge-country artist Tori Forsyth has unleashed a powerful and unexpected reinterpretation of the Deftones classic, Passenger, injecting the nu-metal staple with a haunting Americana edge.
The striking cover features an electrifying performance by pedal-steel virtuoso Read Connolly, best known for his work in Zach Bryan Band, whose blistering contribution adds an entirely new sonic dimension to the track.
Forsyth has had a great run since the release of her 2024 album All We Have Is Who We Are. She was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Country Release at last year’s event and then wowed the audience at this year’s Countrytown Awards.
Recorded in Clarksburg, West Virginia, with producer/engineer Zach McCord, Forsyth approached Passenger, famously performed by Deftones’ Chino Moreno and guest vocalist Maynard James Keenan of Tool, with a blend of admiration and caution. Her resulting version successfully bridges her raw vocal delivery and country sensibility with the song’s emotional weight, casting the heavy classic in a compelling new light.
"It was a mix of reverence and hesitation," Forsyth noted, being a long-time fan of Deftones, "but ultimately, I decided to lean into the challenge."
The single's release follows an intensive five-week writing, recording, and touring run through Appalachia, which was sponsored by Australian music-community app Jammnation. During the trip, Forsyth made significant inroads into the US music scene, performing at events like the Laurel Cove Music Festival and the Sleeping in the Woods Songwriters Festival (curated by Nicholas Jamerson).
Her run culminated in a sold-out Nashville headline show before she returned home to Australia for a sold-out national tour with Wade Forster.
Accompanying the new single is a music video that functions as a tour diary montage. It captures Forsyth and her band's time on the road across Kentucky and West Virginia, offering fans a rare, raw, behind-the-scenes glimpse into their Appalachian journey.
Countrytown brings you Australia’s best country music news, interviews, charts and more every week! This post was authored by Countrytown and originally published on the Countrytown website. It has been re-published with permission.
