Scottish producer Barry Can’t Swim has certainly managed to make waves in the contemporary electronic music scene since the release of his debut album ‘When Will We Land?’ in 2023. Returning with his second album ‘Loner’, this album shrugs off much of the inspirations laden throughout his debut, and instead really hones in on introspection.
Opening track ‘The Person You’d Like To Be’ is nigh on unsettling, a wavering synth beams across the track before the drum track kicks in. The spoken narrative throughout the track acts almost as an inner monologue. The repeated “There is nothing permanent, but change” really drives the levels of introspect the album aspires to.
The questions “Is it a rhythm? Can I dance? Can I dance please?” asked at the conclusion or the opener become almost rhetorical as ‘Different’ explodes into life, the siren-like wailing transforms at the drop of the beat, and laced with a pumping bassline, it’s undeniably a head-bopper. Head-bopping becomes full on raving with tracks like ‘About To Begin’, a track brimming with nostalgic ‘90s sounds, while the euphoric come-up of ‘Still Riding’ injects an excellent amount of energy into the album.
There is still further self-examination and societal deconstruction to be had amongst the dance moves. Featuring spoken word artist Seamus, ‘Machine Noise For A Quiet Daydream’ is perhaps the track that surmises the album best. While talk of discount-supermarket yoghurts, walking cats, bowling,and toast tows the line of a 5am post-night out afters conversation with someone who is a friend of a friend of a friend of someone who you can’t quite remember the full name of, the somewhat nauseating closing line of “What kisses will you remember when you take your last breath?” is left to sink in as the track fades away.
Penultimate track ‘Marriage’ feels audibly massive, a wonderful string accompaniment waves perfectly into the fabric of the song and provides this larger than life sound that really helps to highlight exactly why Barry Can’t Swim has been able to become one of contemporary electronic music’s definitive artists. The final 3 minutes or so come in the form of ‘Wandering Mt.Moon’, an intricate yet rousing track that delivers perfect closure on an album so deeply varied and bright.
Undoubtedly, ‘Loner’ is an album destined for heavy rotation through the sunkissed months and far beyond. It not only showcases a profound sense of progression and maturity but powerfully stretches the very limits of what Barry Can’t Swim sounds like. Eclectic and at times wonderfully off-kilter, it stands as an undeniably fresh and incredibly beautiful statement.