Small Hands Releases Cover of NIN's 'Closer' Ahead of New EP

LOS ANGELES—Fresh off his AVN Award win for 2022 Mainstream Venture of the Year—recognizing his rock album "Age of Regret" from Cleopatra Records—Aaron "Small Hands" Thompson today releases his own cover single and video for the Nine Inch Nails classic "Closer," performed under his musical moniker Empty Streets in collaboration with Ophelia. The new single kicks off his upcoming Empty Streets EP "Age of Excess," due out from Cleopatra February 28. "I've always been a massive fan of this song, but felt it was so perfect that I dare not touch it unless I could reimagine it myself in a way that was completely different than the original, while still paying homage to it. I think we accomplised that," Thompson said. "'Closer was recorded from my home studio in Los Angeles with the collaborative help of Ophelia, mixed and masterd by Grendel. The idea to do this song originally came about because a fan on my OnlyFans requested me to cover the song for her, and it was so much fun that I decided to record and release my version!" Added Ophelia, "Working with Aaron always feels familiar and I've been lucky enough to produce with him on new music. This version of 'Closer' is emotional, dark, and is a paramount example of Empty Streets' sound." The "Age of Excess" EP will feature remixes and bonus tracks from a variety of electronic artists including Aesthetic Perfection, Grendel, Ophelia, Lost Outrider, Ese' & Zain, and an Empty Streets remix (the first Thompson has ever done).  "I have always been fascinated with remixes and reimagining songs through a different lens, and this was a fun way to collaborate with some artists that I myself am a fan of," Thompson noted. "I like their remixes even better than my original versions!" See the video for Empty Streets' "Closer" cover here. Read a profile of Thompson/Empty Streets by Spin magazine here, and keep up with him on Instagram and YouTube.