Listen to Benjamin Francis Leftwich cover M83 and Frightened Rabbit (playing World Cafe Live in December)

Emerging UK songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich is playing a round of North American shows this fall before heading back to the studio to record the followup to his 2011 record Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm. The tour brings him to World Cafe Live in Philly on December 13, and to get fans excited, he’s just released a pair of folksy covers that you can hear below. His spare, acoustic stylings are similar enough to Frightened Rabbit, so his version of “Swim Until You Can’t See Land” comes off as a nice offering, if a bit straightforward. But applied to M83’s raging dancefloor number “Midnight City,” however, his vibe turns the song into something else entirely. Listen below, or download the songs for the price of your e-mail address at Leftwich’s website.