Singer/Songwriter Brett Gleason is releasing his second album, Manifest, on April 14th and Fourculture is excited to exclusively premiere the second single off the album, “If I Could.” Gleason’s music has a folksy vibe and tells relatable stories through the prism of his personal experience. “If I Could” explores the universal trap my family calls “destination-ism.” It’s the faulty thought process that starts with, “I’ll be happy when” and ends with a planned future accomplishment, acquisition, or relationship. The track also examines the pain that comes from overthinking things and putting too much emphasis on some future moment.
Gleason describes the track as being about those times when he believed his hopes and happiness belonged to a future version of himself and the life he dreamed he could have. But with each new status achieved, each new job or relationship begun, in the moment when everything fell into place exactly as he imagined it would, he realized he was still just as unhappy as before. He describes “If I Could” as “the ellipsis at the end of an aspiration, the hope that drives every ambition.” Gleason says the track reflects “the start of my journey to separate my self-worth from my self-image, my will to achieve from my drive to continuously evolve.”
“If I Could” is a fitting opening track for an album called Manifest as it explores the process of manifesting a life that you are content with, independent of the circumstances at any one moment. Conversely, it’s about living the life you have right now and not waiting for some dream moment in the future. The track features a minimal arrangement of piano, guitar, bass, and percussion — all played by Gleason — that allows his clear vocals to shine. Each verse starts out quietly, an aching recitation of past pain, and then builds to a fuller sound each time Gleason completes the sentence, “If I Could,” with a different thought. Ultimately self-discovery is a painful, rewarding journey full of the big meaningful questions only we can answer. With “If I Could,” Gleason provides a glimpse at his own difficult path forward while providing the listener some thoughts to ponder along their way.
Listen to the track below and be sure to grab Manifest. Follow Brett at the social media links below for updates.
Check out Brett’s “Expiration Date” video
