TIGERS IN CAIRO REIMAGINE JAWBREAKER & MISSION OF BURMA WITH POST-PUNK BITE

San Diego post-punk group Tigers In Cairo have shared two new covers to close out the year, putting their own spin on tracks by Jawbreaker and Mission of Burma. Instead of recreating the originals beat-for-beat, the band leans into their own moody, textured sound and lets each song shift into their world.

Their Jawbreaker cover keeps the emotional core intact but smooths things out, trading some of the original’s grit for darker tones and a more patient delivery. The guitars feel crisp without losing their bite, and the vocals sit in that sweet spot between detached and quietly aching. It sounds like Tigers In Cairo covering a song they genuinely love — not trying to rewrite the past, just reinterpreting it.

Their take on Mission of Burma goes even further, slowing the pace and stretching the track into a hazy, dreamlike space. The band softens some of the original’s jagged edges, focusing instead on atmosphere and tension. It feels more reflective, almost meditative, without losing the spirit that made the song important in the first place.

Drummer Matt Yansch explained why these covers mattered to the band right now:
“We’re deep in writing mode for our next round of singles, but we didn’t want to let the year end without getting these out. The Jawbreaker track comes from a Halloween tribute show we did, but the Mission of Burma song has a deeper history for us. Our guitarist Gavin actually covered it years ago in a band that opened for Pegboy, right when Pegboy released their own Mission of Burma cover. When we got the invite to open for Pegboy on their tour this year, bringing that song back felt like the perfect full-circle moment to mark the occasion.”

Between the thoughtful arrangements and that sense of personal history, both tracks feel less like filler and more like a quick snapshot of where the band is right now — pulling from the past, reshaping it, and using it to bridge into whatever comes next.