Set the hearts of those who obsess over the smallest intricacies with covers of traditional Scottish songs. Hozier did it, why not Boygenius too? They take The Parting Glass, a traditional Scottish track, and mark it as the end of this era. Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker marked an impressive first record together, the aptly titled The Record storming through the year and taken up in arms by those whose personalities required pretending to know who Leonard Cohen is. Pairing with folk duo Ye Vagabonds and dedicating it to the late, great Sinéad O’Connor, The Parting Glass is a tidy way of ending this album run, paying tribute to a gifted musician and pairing up with a rising duo. What a trio of efforts to put into one, solid track.
Their sense of fun and freedom found on the tour is removed entirely, a stern change of pace for a very stringent and clear-cut track. The Parting Glass gives Boygenius a chance to reflect on this moment in their careers. Solo albums are surely to follow, the group on ice for a few more years. But that is the beauty of collaborating efforts – they cannot go on forever. When they are captured like this most audiences know to snap up the chance to see them, to hear them perform and to hold those memories close to their hearts. This year has certainly been one of sudden reunions and shocking tours – some of which will never occur again.
Realise this as The Parting Glass plays on and the sudden grief of these artists pangs through. They have spent a year or so together, learning their riffs and charging on through with some of their best work to date. It all comes to an end. This is it. The final chapter of an otherwise successful story. The Parting Glass is a tender and real farewell guided by Bridgers and utilising Dacus and Baker on backing vocals. Their steady split and consistencies on The Record are thankfully replicated here, it should be no surprise this is the case, though. Historic American influences can be heard in the historied recordings of The Parting Glass though not this one, which finds the trio and Ye Vagabonds adapting a song which seems fitting for their end, a final note to their fans before a period of hibernation.
While this movement over the last year set the hearts on fire of some of the most annoying people around, Boygenius and Ye Vagabonds bring about an exceptionally charged and moving rendition of a song which has lasted for centuries. Hearing American singers retrofit a Scottish track would usually turn the stomach of those more associated with the country, but Bridgers and the gang bring about a cover which suits their style and the song too. Robert Burns is not yet spinning in his grave. The Parting Glass is a fine track – it shows Boygenius has more to say for themselves and their fans than just one record and two EPs. Maybe more will come, but it won’t be anytime soon. This is the warning and hopeful cry they give on this cover of a Scottish classic.
