We spend so much time rehearsing for lives that have not happened yet that the present can become strangely easy to miss. But perhaps impermanence is not proof that something was never meant to matter, but part of what made it matter in the first place. Son of Jacob’s “Livin’” explores that tension with a warmth that makes its existential questions feel surprisingly inviting.
“Livin’” wraps its reflections in the sunny glow of 70s-inspired pop, with a theatrical sensibility and touches of art rock and classic rock. Yet beneath that brightness sits a more complicated proposition. This is not simply a song about enjoying the moment; it is about understanding why the moment deserves our attention precisely because it cannot be guaranteed.
Will Jacobson, the New Jersey-based singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist behind Son of Jacob, handles the vocals and instrumentation himself, giving the track an unmistakably singular perspective. Recorded in a home practice space, “Livin’” retains an intimacy that suits its deeply personal subject.
Love becomes the doorway into that reflection. Jacobson has described writing the song about someone who is no longer in his life, while acknowledging the possibility that the future could bring them back together. Rather than turning that uncertainty into conventional heartbreak, he arrives at acceptance: while the relationship existed, he chose to embrace it fully.
That distinction gives “Livin’” its emotional intelligence. The song does not suggest that knowing something may end makes it less meaningful. If anything, it proposes the opposite. There is freedom in recognizing that permanence is not a prerequisite for value.
With its warm production and lush atmosphere, evoking the emotional expansiveness of Weyes Blood, the track allows brightness and melancholy to coexist. “Livin’” is Son of Jacob’s meditation on presence: an almost spiritual reminder that what cannot be kept can still be cherished, and that sometimes the most honest way to love a moment is simply to live it..
