As Dacus noted in a statement, “Partner in Crime,” with its heavily auto-tuned vocals, was partly inspired by “Believe” and Cher’s pioneering use of the effect. “I love Cher’s voice and how low it gets,” Dacus said. “The timbre of her voice is so unique, you can recognize it anywhere. Even with the autotune, you can tell that it’s Cher and nobody else.”
But for both her cover and the new version of “Partner in Crime,” Dacus decided to do away with the auto-tune. She stripped back the latter to a barebones guitar-and-vocals arrangement, while her cover of “Believe” transforms the dancefloor staple into a delightful bit of dream pop. “I feel like some of my favorite lyrics that I’ve written are in ‘Partner in Crime,’ and maybe they aren’t as noticeable because the effect takes you out of it a little bit,” Dacus said. “So, I just wanted to strip it bare and showcase the song for what it is without any tricky production moves.”