Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker record songs in Simlish for new Sims 4 expansion pack

Indie-rock luminaries Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker have contributed songs to a new expansion pack for The Sims 4, both recorded in the Sims’ bespoke language of Simlish.

Recorded for the ‘Cottage Living’ expansion, which landed yesterday, both artists chose to re-do tracks from their most recent albums. Dacus settled on ‘Hot & Heavy’, the lead single from her third studio album ‘Home Video’. Baker, on the other hand, went with ‘Faith Healer’ from her 2021 effort ‘Little Oblivions’.

Have a listen to the Simlish versions of ‘Hot & Heavy’ and ‘Faith Healer’ below:

Dacus and Baker join an ever-sprawling laundry list of artists who’ve had their songs translated into Simlish, including such recent additions as Bebe Rexha, Japanese Breakfast and Mallrat. When the iconic Sims franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, NME shared a list of the best Simlish remixes from throughout its history.

Baker recently announced a 28-date tour of Europe and the UK, where come 2022, she’ll treat local fans to their first IRL taste of tracks from ‘Little Oblivions’.

The album itself hit shelves back in February and scored a four-star review from NME, in which writer Will Richards noted: “Her pain and fury can be tough to hear, and there’s no tidy closing resolution to falsely declare that it’ll actually all be fine.

“Baker’s bravery in simply laying it out this way suggests that if you dig deep enough into yourself too, there’s some light to be found at the bottom. It’s a start, at least.”

Speaking to NME upon its release, Baker noted that ‘Little Oblivions’ chronicled a monumental turning point in how she approached the creative process, by proxy of changes in her personal life.

“In the year over which I made this record,” she said, “I had to unlearn the idea of recovery being linear, or quantifiable, or something that you did out of principle, that was just a moral achievement.

“With my previous two records, the idea I had was a little bit more idealistic. And for my own sanity, I chose to apply this narrative to all the obstacles and struggles and pain in my life, to help me assign meaning to pain… you know, what human beings have been trying to do since the dawn of time!”

Dacus is also set to hit the UK and Europe next year, performing 20 dates in support of ‘Home Video’. The album was released last month, with NME’s Rhian Daly saying in a four-star review: “For the most part, Dacus proves that looking back at your past might make you cringe, but there is beauty and value in those faltering, gawky days.”