Barry Can’t Swim Debut Album ‘When W ill We Land’
Click image
Artist Profile
Barry Can’t Swim, aka Joshua Mainnie is a Scottish-born, London-based jazz -inspired electronic producer and DJ signed under Ninja Tune Records. He has been described as a “bold, colourful, impetuous voice in electronic music”. He has rapidly grown this year and has been seen playing at Fabric, Warehouse Project and many more bigger venues across the UK. Mainnies love for music started at an early age and he studied music at university before joining a band. His genre blending skills create a vibrant, soulful energy using many different samples from across the world. Bringing different musical cultures to the British dance floor. He is gaining over 2 million monthly listens as of current.
This album radiates a sense of gospel euphoria when listening, it doesn’t just feel like a dance album it is so much more than that. I feel the album makes you think and dig deeper into your understanding and love for music. The album kicks off with the song titled ‘When Will We Land’. The song creates an ambiguous tone as it builds up into an almost magical feeling song, it leaves the album open to go in any direction. It makes me feel like I’m being carried through a magical mushroom land where you wouldn’t be surprised if fairies ran alongside deer and elves pottered around going about their day-to-day (whatever that may be).
As we progress, onto the next song, ‘Deadbeat Gospel’ I am still not sure what to expect. I honestly feel quite blessed to have heard this song, the lyrics beautifully written by Northern Irish poet Jack Lowery. This song was spontaneously recorded after a show in Dublin last year. It encapsulates the spiritual aspects of raving and dance music and the ways in which music can be experienced as a spiritual passage for listeners. I wanted to dive deeper into this song, as I feel it reflects the tone of the whole album the best.
The song starts by telling the listener to ‘envision a religion based on smooth transitions and rhythm’ suggesting that music is a religion, there are many references to religion throughout the song, almost comparing the dancefloor to a church ‘teeming with sinners in need of redeeming’ but almost suggesting that music forgives all as ‘heavens ready to believe what we believe in’
The song is constantly transitioning from a dance track lifting the spirits of its listeners, to something you really should pay attention listening to. The lyrics are moving and honestly, very relatable to me and so many others that look to music as a form of almost therapy, sometimes I feel like it’s the only thing keeping me going, keeping me steady in a world that can be so unforgiving and chaotic.
He then continues to refer to the song Blind Faith by Chase and Status again in a nod to religion quoting ‘shameless, nameless, blameless faces have put Blind Faith in Chase and Status’ I feel this demonstrates how as listeners, we put our faith in music and a DJ as we trust them and look to them in times of sadness or times of need rather than the idea of God. The dancefloor classic is a well-loved song and Chase and Status are extremely well-respected icons amongst the electronic music scene. The song ends by prompting more peace and love something I feel the world so desperately needs at the moment.
The album then builds and glides into the absolute tune ‘Sonder’ I was very lucky to see this song performed at the Warehouse Project and watched the crowd from the balcony react to it, everyone erupted with energy so maybe my view on this song is a little bit bias as I’ve heard it many times but wow, it’s such a smooth mover, that the only way I can describe it. The beat drops are amazing to sink your hips, as you bop along the beat. Similarly to the next song ‘How it Feels’ which I also got to see at WHP, this song is playful and uplifted I don’t know one person that wouldn’t love it. It’s such a mover! It’s one of those songs you can dance along to yet also kind of get in your feels about, everyone got that one person they’re secretly singing to in the back of their heads!
Then the album takes a slight turn as we dive into ‘Sunsleeper’, the pinnacle of the album in my opinion, this song lifts your soul – the crowd reaction to this at WHP was a moment I will never forget. Thousands of faces smiling laughing and body’s moving all over the place. It gave Deadbeat Gospel a whole other meaning to me as honestly, that man had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand that night, having spoken to him a week after he said how nervous he was going into that booth but honestly, you would not think it, the crowd ate that up and every single second of the set was magical. I love the soft melodies of this album as sometimes ‘dancey’ ‘electonicy’ music can get a bit overwhelming and a little bit intense but not this, this album feels like mental therapy for a busy brain, yet it keeps its energy the whole way through.
As we make our way through the album the orchestral feel of the music still holds that gospel energy, I honestly feel as though the album sends me into a meditative state. Particularly the song ‘I Won't Let You Down’, my brain is sinking into the strings and gliding along them if that makes any sense at all, if not – you’ll have to listen to the song. Then the energy switches to and uplifts you, it’s the type of music you know you’re going to make some good memories to such as ‘Tell Me What You Need’ the song is so ‘feel good’. Not the most interesting way to describe something but that's exactly what it is! Josh samples an array of genres throughout this album, creating a beautiful blend of different sounds from around the world including the Brazilian duo Trio Terrnura's song A Gira a.
On the whole, I feel this album is difficult to listen to people who may not like ‘difficult’ music, it’s complex and interesting to listen to, yet it’s easy to listen to. A good introduction for people dipping their toe into the electronic pond, people that may not be too interested in the complexities of avant garde music such as Aphex Twin, but can appreciate a dance floor classic feel. The genre-blending artist's music is soothing yet fun. A definite must-see if you want a good groovy dance at a festival this summer.