[REVIEW] Barry Can’t Swim Fuses Depth with Distortion and Disco on Loner

Josh Mainnie, better known by his stage name Barry Can’t Swim, has steadily risen the ranks over the years, proving to be one of the UK’s most acclaimed electronic artists. Now, he’s returned with Loner, his highly anticipated second album.

★★★★

Ever since his acclaimed debut When Will We Land? exploded onto electronic circuits in October 2023, it's been on the receiving end of huge praise, not least being shortlisted for the 2024 Mercury Music Prize alongside the likes of Charli XCX, Ghetts and The Last Dinner Party.

Kicking off the album comes ‘The Person You’d Like To Be’. Eerie and anxiety-inducing wails introduce the track, underscoring a stark contrast to the vibrant hits (think ‘Sunsleeper’ and ‘How It Feels’) found within his debut. Featuring a distorted conversation between the producer and spoken word artist and personal friend, Séamus, one thing is made clear from the offset. This isn’t Barry Can’t Swim returning as a post-success, uber-commercialised version of himself, but rather an acclaimed artist embracing the parts of himself that were once buried deep.

Swapping out summer-drenched, jazz inspired beats for harsher, mechanical elements, the Scottish producer continues to disrupt any preconceived ideas of what ‘Loner’ would present with ‘Different’, one of the few singles released from the LP. Fast-paced and whirring, with a distinctly made-to-be-driven-to energy, it's a confident to-be classic in Barry Can’t Swim’s catalogue.

Tracks like ‘About To Begin’ and ‘Still Riding’ – the latter a remix of Kali Uchis’ 2015 hit ‘Ridin’ Round’ – manage to inject some real fun into a body of work that is perhaps his most self-expressive and daring yet. Barry comments;

"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”

The gorgeously produced ‘Cars Pass By Like Childhood Sweethearts’ and ‘Marriage’ reveal yet another dimension to the Edinburgh tracksmith, further illuminating his knack for juggling multifaceted, layered sonic elements to create something distinctive.

Though the album’s flow is thrown between somewhat varying energies – some darker, softer, crazier – this isn’t necessarily a discredit to Barry’s latest creation. There is truly something for each electronica fan nestled in Loner, though listening in full might not have the desired effect on those looking for a consistent stream of ready-made club classics.

The thick Scottish voice overs that are peppered in, through the likes of ‘Machine Noise For A Quiet Daydream (feat. Séamus) and ‘Childhood’, provide something special and refreshing, not often celebrated on the mainstream stage. In a time where voices are becoming increasingly censored, silenced, and ignored, there’s a strong sense of pride and identity laced throughout Loner that makes it stand in a league of its own amongst contemporary releases.

In some parts quintessential Barry Can’t Swim and others more avant-garde, as a whole Loner offers an entertaining, encapsulating, and explorative listen. Sprinkled with massive hits that DJs will undoubtedly revel in all summer long, along with some unassuming but stirring gems, this collection carries huge potential to include your next on-repeat project.