A lot can happen in two years. In 2023 Barry Can’t Swim’s highly acclaimed debut album When Will We Land? took the dance music world by storm. Surpassing 100 million streams and earning a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize, as well as festival slots at places like Coachella and Glastonbury. Today, Barry Can’t Swim releases his sophomore album Loner via Ninja Tune Records, and to preview the album Barry had this to share, “If my first album was a collage of all the music I loved and was inspired by growing up, then this album is the most authentic expression I could offer of myself and my life over the past year.”
Where When Will We Land? was euphoric and uplifting, Loner is far more melancholic. As the title would suggest, this album takes a for more introspective and reflective. But more than just the beats and lyrics suggest, the overall tone and atmosphere of the project top to bottom is cerebral and deep. “All My Friends” is a captivating number with a soulful vocal and drifting melody. This track and “Kimpton” with the eclectic O’Flynn share the most sentiment with When Will We Land? but both are deeply moving. “Like It’s Part Of The Dance” is the perfect track to define Barry’s current sound in my opinion. It works as a track to dance to but also could bring a tear to your eye. Sampling Brandy’s 1994 classic “I Wanna Be Down,” this is one of a few impressive samples on the album including the breathtaking “Still Riding” which samples Kali Uchis’ “Ridin Round” and the nostalgic “Childhood” which samples “I Choose You” by Willie Hutch made famous by UGK and Outkast’s “Int’l Players Anthem.”
Loner sees Barry go deeper, taking parts of his uplifting global sound and incorporating a sense of echoing introspection. It’s a project that you should listen to more than once before you form an opinion on it and that in itself will tell you how great of a job Barry did at creating a world with this project.
After finishing a completely sold out North American tour a few weeks ago Barry Can’t Swim is now on the festival circuit where he will be at Lollapalooza, Osheago in Montreal, Hard Summer and more.
Stream Loner below and enjoy!
Photo Credit / Rory Dewar