Exclusive Premiere: Rocket & the Ghost, ‘Albuquerque’ (Live Acoustic)

New York City-based Rocket & the Ghost have a knack for crafting striking tunes, whether it's in the form of an unadulterated indie rocker like "Better Than Before" or a soul-filled love song like "Albuquerque."

The latter is the focus of Rocket & the Ghost's brand-new EP, Come in From the Outside / Albuquerque, and today (May 14), Diffuser is thrilled to show-off a unique interpretation of the track from frontman Kiyoshi Matsuyama -- check it out in the video above.

The studio version of "Albuquerque" is driven by the marching beat of Rocket & the Ghost's rhythm section, and while that might be replaced by a piano in this new imagining of the song, what remains are Matsuyama's powerful and emotive vocals.

"I showed up to Better Problems Records with a guitar ready to track an acoustic session," Matsuyama recalls. "While they were setting up for the session, I sat down at the Wurlitzer and played a few bars of 'Albuquerque.' To my surprise, everybody thought the electric piano gave the song a nice raw emotion, so we just rolled with it."

Rocket & the Ghost's new EP is out now via Better Problems -- you can pick it up here. Make sure to check out their official website to stay up-to-date with everything happening in their world, including an upcoming gig at Highline Ballroom in New York City.

In the meantime, compare the acoustic version of "Albuquerque" with the studio version below: