Slauson Malone 1 has a new single out, and it is a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover. The track is “Porcelain,” the soft, slow, minimal Californication deep cut, and it has been reworked by Jasper Marsalis, who records as Slauson Malone 1. It is his first new music since 2023’s EXCELSIOR, and it arrives with a vocal processing trick that pushes the song into a space somewhere near Alex G.
The cover is a strange fit. “Porcelain” is already one of the more abstract RHCP tracks on record, and Marsalis has leaned into that abstraction. The result is a version that sounds like it came from a one-man ensemble that decided to treat a Chili Peppers song as raw material for something entirely its own.
The Cover Itself
“Porcelain” is a Californication deep cut, and it is not the kind of song that gets a lot of attention. It is soft, slow, and minimal, built on a gentle groove rather than a chorus. The lyrics ask questions about identity and decay, and the original version lets those questions sit quietly in the mix.
Marsalis has processed his voice in a way that accentuates its fragility. He sings, “Are you wasting away in your skin?” and the question lands with a weight that the original does not carry. Then comes the second verse: “Are you missing the love of your kin? Drifting and floating and fading away…” The processing makes those lines feel less like a pop song and more like a meditation on loss.
The cover is a reminder that even the quietest corners of a major band’s catalog can become something else entirely in the hands of a solo artist.
The One-Man Ensemble
Slauson Malone 1 is an experimental music project led by Jasper Marsalis. The project has built a reputation for dense, layered arrangements that often sound like a full band despite being created by a single person. Marsalis uses production techniques to build out textures that would normally require multiple musicians.
That background makes the cover interesting in context. A one-man ensemble covering a Chili Peppers song is already a novelty. A one-man ensemble covering a Chili Peppers song and processing his voice to sound like Alex G is a whole other level of niche.
The comparison to Alex G is not accidental. Marsalis has pushed the song into what the announcement calls the “post-Alex G uncanny valley.” That means the vocal is treated in a way that echoes the delicate, fragile sound that defined Alex G’s early work. The effect is immediate: the cover sounds like a different animal entirely.
The Processing Trick
The vocal processing is the star of this cover. Marsalis has taken a track about wasting away and made his voice sound like it is doing exactly that. The fragility is accentuated, the questions about identity and love are sharpened, and the drifting, floating, fading imagery is rendered in a way that makes the listener feel the weight of the words.
The effect is subtle but consistent. It is not a distorted scream or a filtered whisper. It is a carefully modulated voice that sits somewhere between the original’s warmth and a more spectral quality. The result is a version of “Porcelain” that feels both familiar and completely new.
The Uncanny Valley
The announcement describes the cover as pushing the song “a little farther into the post-Alex G uncanny valley.” That is a specific reference to a particular moment in indie rock history, where artists like Alex G were pushing the boundaries of what a voice could sound like while still remaining recognizable as human.
The uncanny valley is a term borrowed from robotics, where a robot that looks almost human can trigger a feeling of discomfort. In music, it describes a sound that is almost human but not quite, and Marsalis has found a way to apply it to a Chili Peppers cover. The vocal processing is the key to this effect, and it is the reason the cover sounds so distinct from the original.
The Track’s Place in the Peppers Catalog
“Porcelain” is a deep cut, and it is one of the more abstract songs on Californication. The album itself is a departure from the Chili Peppers’ earlier work, and “Porcelain” captures that shift in tone. It is a quieter, more introspective song than the band’s usual fare.
Marsalis has chosen to highlight that abstraction rather than smooth it over. The cover does not try to replicate the original’s energy. Instead, it leans into the song’s softer, more contemplative side and makes it even more fragile through processing.
The Announcement’s Details
The announcement describes the cover as a “soft, slow, minimal” version of a “Californication deep cut.” It notes that the track is “already one of the more abstract RHCP tracks on record.” It also notes that Marsalis has “pushed it a little farther into the post-Alex G uncanny valley.”
Those details matter because they set the expectations for listeners. Anyone approaching this cover with knowledge of the original will know what to expect: a slower, more delicate take on a song that was already delicate. What they will not expect is the vocal processing that defines the final product.
The Release Timeline
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| EXCELSIOR release | 2023 |
| “Porcelain” cover release | Today |
The timeline is simple. Marsalis released EXCELSIOR in 2023, and now, three years later, he has followed it with a new single. The wait between albums was long, but the new music has arrived.
The cover is available now, and it stands as a statement of intent from an artist who has spent his career making music that defies easy classification. A one-man ensemble covering a Chili Peppers song is already unusual. A one-man ensemble covering a Chili Peppers song and processing his voice to sound like Alex G is something closer to a stunt — and a very specific kind of stunt.
The Verdict
The cover works because it respects the original while transforming it. It is not a faithful rendition, and it does not pretend to be. Instead, it takes a song about wasting away and makes the vocal sound like it is doing exactly that.
The comparison to Alex G is apt. Both artists share a fascination with the human voice as a fragile instrument, and Marsalis has channeled that fascination into a cover that feels like a natural extension of his own work. The processing is the star, and the song is the vehicle.
This is a niche move, and it is the kind of niche move that only makes sense in indie rock. A Chili Peppers cover is already a bold choice. A Chili Peppers cover processed to sound like Alex G is a bold choice that knows exactly what it is doing.
The cover is a success. It is a clever, confident, and well-executed piece of music that rewards attention. It is also a reminder that the Chili Peppers have a deep catalog full of songs waiting to be rediscovered in unexpected ways.
See the video the story is built around at Stereogum.
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