Frank Turner has unveiled a new single, “A Wave Across A Bay,” a heavy, emotional track in which Turner pays tribute to his late friend Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit.
Turner’s flair for crafting confessional yet life-affirming songs from challenging emotions has been on top form with his recent singles “Haven’t Been Doing So Well” and “Miranda.” “A Wave Across A Bay” opens with Frank singing of a final, dream-like encounter with his old friend – which is ironic as he notes that neither of them would believe in such an occurrence “given that both of us are atheists.”
From that point onwards, Frank paints an evocative image of Scott in his final moments, during which he finally finds the peace that had so cruelly eluded him. Despite the evident pain, the song finds Frank coming to terms with Scott’s decision with understanding and acceptance. The song is taken from Turner’s forthcoming album, FTHC.
Frank says, “I still miss my friend Scott every day. His passing left such a huge hole in so many lives. I wrote this song in his honor and memory, it was hard to write and record, but I think it does the man some small justice.”
“A Wave Across A Bay” is released with the blessing of Scott’s younger brother Grant. Frank first performed the song shortly after Scott’s death in 2020 during a set of Frightened Rabbit covers. The livestream show raised funds for the children and young people’s mental health charity Tiny Changes, which was set up by the Hutchison family to help provide every child with “the opportunity to lead happy and fulfilled lives as adults.”
Turner shared a live performance of the song, captured at Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden, earlier today:
Out now digitally, the single is also available to order on 7” vinyl. Profits for the sale of this 7” will be paid to Tiny Changes. The single features Frank’s cover of the Frightened Rabbit fan favorite “Modern Leper” on the b-side, which was recorded with Scott during an Xtra Mile / OB1 session in May 2017. Photos of Frank and Scott together feature on both the reverse of the packaging and on the label of the b-side. “A Wave Across A Bay” was released alongside an animated video.
