Scottish electronic musician Barry Can’t Swim released his
latest album, “Loner,” on July 11, 2025, via Ninja Tune. This is his second
studio album. The album explores his experiences over the past year and expresses
who he is as an evolving artist and human. It documents the highs and lows of
the musician’s life over a year.
The album is made up of 12 songs, all with different sounds
and feels, but they all come back to Barry Can’t Swim’s voice and style. Each song
experiments with different layering and instrumentation, showcasing his talent
and willingness to try new things. This adventurous spirit will help his music
continue to evolve to new heights.
While the album starts off high-energy and loud, it
eventually settles in and calms down about halfway through the album. This can
represent the artist’s highs and lows over the course of the year the album is
about, or the ebbs and flows of life in general. People who expect this album
to be more upbeat will be disappointed, but those who love more chill
electronic music will like the songs.
Apart from the difficulty hearing the dialogue in the first
song, the mixing throughout the album is well done. The difference in the
layering of instruments across the songs and the different styles is well
executed on the album and does a great job of keeping listeners engaged over
the course of the album.
“The Person You’d Like To Be” has what sounds like an
airhorn blaring throughout the song. It is distracting from the rest of the
song, and it makes it difficult to hear some of the dialogue that is happening
with the song. This airhorn can have listeners believe that the dialogue is
some sort of subliminal message that will come through somehow.
Overall, this album is a more laid-back electronic album. While
some of the songs are more upbeat and allow for dancing, a lot of the songs do
not fit that. Listeners will be able to relate to the highs and lows that occur
over the course of the year, which Barry Can’t Swim documents creatively in
this album.
Track List:
1. The Person You’d Like To Be
2. Different
3. Kimpton (with O’Flynn)
4. All My Friends
5. About To Begin
6. Still Riding
7. Cars Pass By Like Childhood Sweethearts
8. Machine Noise For A Quiet Daydream (feat. Séamus)
9. Like It’s Part Of The Dance
10. Chosen
11. Marriage
12. Wandering Mt. Moon
Related Articles:
-Album Review: "Remembering Now" by Van Morrison: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2025/07/album-review-remembering-now-by-van.html
-Album Review: "Beauty in the Beast" by Curtisy: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2025/07/album-review-beauty-in-beast-by-curtisy.html
-Album Review: "Happy Tears" by 49th & Main: https://kiltedowl.blogspot.com/2025/07/album-review-happy-tears-by-49th-main.html
-Album Review: "Live in the City of Diamonds"