Review

In a landscape full of predictable beats and interchangeable producers, Barry Can’t Swim’s debut album Loner is a welcome curveball. It’s a vibrant, globe-hopping blend of house, jazz, afrobeat and electronica, underpinned by a strong emotional current that gives it real staying power. The Scottish producer, real name Joshua Mainnie, has been building momentum with a run of genre-blurring EPs. With Loner, he delivers a full-length statement that feels both confident and personal. It’s an album equally at home in a festival set as it is in your headphones on a grey Tuesday afternoon. The opener, Sunsleeper, washes in with airy synths and warm textures, easing the listener into an album that’s as much about mood as it is about movement. How It Feels follows, pairing buoyant rhythms with chopped vocals that manage to be both euphoric and slightly wistful — a signature move throughout the record. What’s most impressive about Loner is the balance it strikes. Tracks like Some Deadbeat Gospel and Always Get Through To You carry genuine emotional weight without losing their groove. There’s a tension between melancholy and momentum that runs through the album, giving it depth beyond its dancefloor appeal. Woman stands out with its chopped vocal loops and dusty jazz chords, nodding to classic sample-based house without sounding dated. There’s a live, organic feel to much of the album, likely a result of Mainnie’s background as a trained musician — the drums swing, the basslines walk, and the textures breathe. That said, the album occasionally edges into over-polished territory. A few tracks feel like they’re aiming for mood rather than direction, and some listeners might crave a bit more grit or surprise. But these are small complaints in what is otherwise a consistently engaging debut. In Loner, Barry Can’t Swim has crafted an album that feels deeply personal yet broadly accessible. It’s the kind of record that rewards close listening but also invites dancing. And in a genre that often leans too far one way or the other, that balance is no small achievement.

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