Bathing Suits team up with Mandy, Indiana’s Valentine Caulfield on electric re-work of ‘I Can Be A Freak’

Bathing Suits have joined forces with Mandy, Indiana’s Valentine Caulfield for a new version of their song ‘I Can Be A Freak’.

The track was the break-out single from the Leeds indie group, and has now been reimagined alongside the singer for the noise-rock group Mandy, Indiana.

Like the original, the new reworked version stays loyal to the initial sound – leaning into aggressive, charismatic guitar riffs and elaborate electronic elements throughout. This time though, Caulfield works to bring a new level of adrenaline to the mix.

“I discovered Bathing Suits after meeting Freyja [Blevins, singer] at one of our shows earlier this year, and it was love at first listen,” Caulfield shared. “Their music is exciting, provocative, danceable, and – something quite rare for a band so young – they know exactly who they are.

“When they asked me if I would be open to recording a verse for them, the answer was obviously yes. Little do they know that they are the ones who did me a favour: in 10 years, when Bathing Suits are filling up arenas around the world, I can say I loved them before it was cool.”

The new single comes amid a big year for the Leeds group, with them releasing debut EP ‘KILL BATHING SUITS’ earlier this year via Underplay Recordings, and also playing three memorable gigs as part of The Great Escape.

At the festival, they were named winners of the festival’s prestigious Steve Strange Award, and both they and NME Cover stars Mandy, Indiana were named as some of the top sets that NME caught at the 2026 event.

“Late night is when The Great Escape really comes alive, inhibitions loosened and everyone ready to have a good time as they pack into Brighton’s intimate venues. Bathing Suits are a band perfectly suited to that environment,” the entry for Bathing Suits read.

“Their brand of electro-punk holds nothing back and each song in their short set encourages you to cut a little looser, whether in the elastic bass of ‘Empathy’ or thumping, liberatory ode ‘I Can Be A Freak’.”

For Mandy, Indiana, we wrote: “Valentine Caulfield is utterly riveting as she commands the stage, addresses the crowd on violence against women and commemorates Nakba Day in a statement of solidarity with Palestine before finally getting into the crowd to join the mosh pit. A powerful performance we won’t forget anytime soon.”

Bathing Suits are set to now join Man/Woman/Chainsaw on tour across the UK, and shows include a show at London’s Electric Ballroom on October 7. They are also set to take their new EP on the road for a run of in-store appearances.

Visit here for tickets.

With Mandy, Indiana, when the French/Mancunian band graced the NME Cover, they spoke to us about how they honed into their unique, industrial dance sound.

“I think what we were noticing when we were touring and playing festivals was that we were attracted to unexpected rhythms. It’s something that you can dance to, but that you don’t normally dance to,” guitarist Scott Fair shared.

“You can dance to some experimental noise artist hitting a snare drum at really weird intervals and throwing things around a room – that’s really exciting to dance to.”

You can view the original article HERE.