(Credits: Far Out / Press)
In honour of Sinead O’Connor, Boygenius have shared a cover of ‘The Parting Glass’. The trio’s take offers up a breathtaking version of the traditional Gaelic classic and pays respect to the Irish singer that inspired them.
For the cover, Boygenius have teamed up with Irish folk duo Ye Vagabonds, made up of Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn. Their haunting rendition is full of dense harmonies, beautiful strings and the typically stunning vocal performances that people have come to expect from Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker.
The track was recorded and released in tribute to O’Connor, who passed away in July at age 56. O’Connor’s version of ‘The Parting Glass’, released in 2002, is one of the most famous version of this traditional parting song.
O’Connor’s influence presides over the cover. With her face gracing the artwork and her inspiration running through the band’s performance, the Irish singer’s family have also been involved in the cover.
Along with the cover, the band shared that all proceeds from the track will go to The Aisling Project, as selected by O’Connor’s estate. The charity is “an after-school project working with children and young people growing up in a disadvantaged area in Dublin, Ireland.”
The Irish singer was a huge influence on Bridgers especially. The singer-songwriter previously revealed that she once shaved her head in high school to look more like her hero, and described O’Connor as “revolutionary.”
Following O’Connor’s death, Bridgers said of the singer, “Sinéad always believed things that she actually believed, not things she was told to believe by somebody else, even if it was completely subversive.”
Wrapping up an incredible year for the band, Boygenius’ nod to their idol is beautiful. Moreover, the special tribute to O’Connor is another addition to the tradition of Bridgers sharing a charity single at the end of each year.
