Only a Lifetime is the enchanting new single from Glasgow-based singer and guitarist Jack Badcock. The song, which is set for release on Friday 30 July, features rich melodic vocals and is the final release from Jack’s five-track EP The Driftwood Project.
The hopeful single was written at the start of the pandemic last year and is inspired by mankind’s ability to adapt and grow. The song takes stock of how far we have come as a species, and marvels at what we have achieved.
The soulful single features Jack on lead vocals and guitar, and Little Acres (Rachel Lightbody, Cariss Crosbie and Emilie Boyd) on backing vocals. A powerful string quartet feature (Seonaid Aitken, Benedict Morris, Patsy Reid and Su-A Lee) weaves an emotive thread as the track builds to its conclusion. The track also features Gus Stirrat on bass guitar, Loic Guenneguez on trumpet, John Lowrie on piano and Micah Johnston on drums.
The song is part of The Driftwood Project, a drip-released EP exploring varying sonic styles. The first pair of singles from the EP are heavily influenced by funk and soul, while the second pair are acoustic guitar and string quarter orientated. Only a Lifetime acts as a finale to the project, featuring a hybrid sound which is inspired by the EP as a whole.
Jack Badcock said: “Only a Lifetime is basically an anti-cynicism song. It’s a response to the idea that humanity is merely a force for destruction – which I seem to hear a lot. In a world not short on inequality, violence and environmental neglect, it’s easy to see where it comes from.
“I think people forget that humans are an animal like any other on Earth and in this respect, are one to be marvelled at. We’re a problematic species but are capable of spectacular things, not least the ability to change. The world only a lifetime ago seems like such a wildly different place to the one we live in now and the world a lifetime from now will be similarly unrecognisable.”
The track was recorded in March 2021 at Solas Sounds, Gran’s House Studio, Mango Mansion Studio and Viewbank Studios. It was mixed by Scott Wood at Oak Ridge Studios and mastered by Chris Waite at Gran’s House Studio.
Jack has toured around the world, predominantly as frontman and founding member of the multi-award winning, world-folk band Dallahan. He was also a BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalist and has performed or recorded with the likes of Rura, Siobhan Miller, Dougie MacLean and The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. His music explores human history and cosmology, and is influenced by American folk, funk and soul, as well as traditional music from Britain and Ireland.
Only a Lifetime will be available to stream and download on all digital platforms from Friday 30 July.
Website: www.jackbadcock.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jackbadcockmusic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jackbadcockmusic
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