After a whirlwind year of spirited summer festivals and a string of melodic, beat driven singles that are as vivacious as they are dancefloor ready, Edinburgh born, Barry Can’t Swim, has finally released his joyous debut album, When Will We Land?. With a name that alludes to the idea that he is unable to keep his head above water, what’s clear after listening to this album, is not only will Barry remain afloat, but he is sure to make waves.
In an Instagram post, Barry Can’t Swim stated, “It’s a huge personal milestone for me, after 10 months of solid writing plus a 20+ years dreaming about it before then. I’ve poured everything I have into it and really hope you you like.”
Opening with the title track, “When Will We Land?”, Barry Can’t Swim surprises listeners with an ambient, almost cinematic track, seeming to disappear at times only to give room for breakbeat percussion and heavenly choirs to slingshot listeners into what this artist does best – bouncing basslines that dance around pulsing kick drums.
“You only get to make your debut album once,” he stated, “So I want to showcase all the elements of the things I enjoy and love in music up to this point.”
This London-based producer (real name Joshua Mannie), made himself known with his EP, Amor Fati, an inspiring blend of jazzy piano licks and house drum beats. After joining with the label, Ninja Tune, Barry Can’t Swim collaborated with Anish Kumar with “Blackpool Boulevard”, which lead to him being named in Billboard’s ’10 Dance Artists To Watch in 2022′.
Now in 2023, When Will We Land?, often sprinkled with personal voice-notes and ambient recordings, has made this Barry Can’t Swim’s most personal and introspective work to date. In the track, “Deadbeat Gospel”, recorded live on his phone on the banks of the River Liffey in Dublin, Barry’s university friend and poet, somedeadbeat, recites themes of UK club culture in articulate religious metaphors.
“For me, I want it to have musicality to it,” he adds. “I wanted it to have the energy of electronic music but also with a more organic live element. I feel like I’m more of a musician than anything else. I’m a producer but I like writing music on instruments.”
For the track, “Woman”, Barry Can’t Swim stated, “Lapsley came back immediately with this unreal vocal. I chopped it up, re-arranged it… it’s one of those things that fell into place.”
This producer, instrumentalist, and DJ has made a name for himself across the country, playing brilliant sets in clubs, warehouses and even in the forest. Just last week, Barry Can’t Swim played at Warehouse Project in Manchester for his second live Boiler Room set – a popular online broadcaster of electronic music.
Speaking about the set, Barry stated, “Anytime I’ve thought about it [Warehouse Project] since I just start laughing to myself stepping into that bear pit of a booth. It was mad! Hard to explain without actually being in there but you could proper feel nothing but pure joy in that room. It’s a show that I’ll never ever forget, I loved every single second of it.”
What is clear to see is that Barry Can’t Swim is here to stay. Making rumblings in the music industry and creating an impressive debut album is just the first on his list of upcoming plans – continuing to tour is his next focus.
10/11/2023 – Button Factory – Dublin, Ireland
11/11 – Bitterzoet – Amsterdam, Netherlands
15/11 – Berghain – Berlin, Germany
16/11 – Le Pop Up Du Label – Paris, France
17/11 – Canvas – Manchester, UK
18/11 – 24 Kitchen Street – Liverpool, UK
19/11 – 24 Kitchen Street – Liverpool, UK
22/11 – Strange Brew – Bristol, UK
23/11 – St John at Hackney – London, UK
24/11 – SWG3 Studio Warehouse – Glasgow, UK
25/11 – The Bongo Club – Edinburgh, UK
