Out on 20th October via one of our favourite labels Ninja Tune is the debut album from Edunburgh multi instrumentalist Barry Can’t Swim, and from it is the new single How It Feels, which is out now.
The track is actually an exploration of various ideas and experiences Barry faced when writing his very first album. “Writing an album for the first time got me thinking about writing music in a different way, treating it kind of like jigsaw pieces that slot together to create something that’s only finished when it’s listened to as a whole” he says, before adding “When I first started this song it was intended to be a segue between tracks, more of a breather on the album that helped the overall fluidity, but when I handed the album in I realised it was one of my favourite songs on there and I wanted it to be a single.
The whole thing was started and finished in about 2 hours. Sometimes the best tunes are the ones that feel the most effortless and you’re just channelling something you’re not even that aware of and then you listen back and you’re like, ok I actually think that’s done!”
Based around this piano line and vocal hook, it’s warm, affecting house/electro music given this ability to make you move with the sweeping strings bleeding into the electronic hue with this constantly prodding off kilter bassline working its magic. Just try and stay still to this, I dare you.
How It Feels” arrives hot on the heels of a momentous summer for Barry with stand-out DJ sets at this year’s Glastonbury, an already lauded Boiler Room performance at FLY Open Air festival, a Mahogany session released this week and high profile shows across the world including Amnesia in Ibiza alongside Kerri Chandler, Honey Dijon and Nina Kraviz.
The Edinburgh-born musician caught attention with a series of releases in 2020, before signing to Ninja Tune imprint Technicolour for his sensational 2022 EP ‘More Content’ (which has amassed over 20 million streams to date). To add to this Billboard named him as one of their 10 Dance Artists To Watch, while influential voices such as The Blessed Madonna and Annie Mac are huge fans. His 2021 release with Anish Kumar, “Blackpool Boulevard” was made Danny Howard’s ‘Hottest Record’ and Pete Tong’s ‘Essential New Tune’, while Mixmag included it in their ‘Best Tracks of the Year’.
Shortly after the release of ‘When Will We Land?’ in October Barry will take his brand new live show on a very nearly sold out headline tour with stops across the UK and Europe.
“How It Feels” is out now, with ‘When Will We Land’ album out 20th October on Ninja Tune.
Live Dates:
10th Nov – The Button Factory, Dublin, Ireland
11th Nov – Bitterzoet, Amsterdam, Netherlands
15th Nov – Berghain / Kantine, Berlin, Germany
16th Nov – Le Pop Up du Label, Paris, France
17th Nov – YES, Manchester, UK
18th Nov – 24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool, UK
19th Nov – 24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool, UK
22nd Nov – Strange Brew, Bristol, UK
23rd Nov – St John at Hackney Church, London
24th Nov – SWG3 Studio Warehouse, Glasgow
25th Nov – The Bongo Club, Edinburgh
