by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the debut album from Scottish artist Joshua Mannie, better known in musical circles as Barry Can’t Swim.

His singles Sunsleeper and Woman have fared particularly well during 2023, fulfilling Mannie’s wish to deliver the energy of electronic music but with real time performance, so that the music doesn’t sound too manufactured.

The diversities of this album include the sampling of Brazilian group Trio Ternura on Dance Of The Crab, and a rich choral palette on Always Get Through To You. There are vocal guests, too – somedeadbeat, Falle Nioke & Blackboxx and just lil.

What’s the music like?

There is a great deal of positive energy in the music here, helped by Barry Can’t Swim’s refusal to limit himself to a single area of music. Instead he shows himself to be a prodigious shape shifter, capable of bringing uplifting vocals to a mix that includes Afrobeat, deeper house, a bit of jazz, and what sounds like a freely improvised piano.

All of Mannie’s music is freshly minted, as though it were recorded yesterday. It ranges from Sonder, a lovely bit of airy, down tempo music with a soaring sax solo and bumpy rhythm, to Sunsleeper, which is a beauty with its rippling piano line. How It Feels is a good vocal, and could easily be a lot longer, but that promise is fulfilled by I Won’t Let You Down, which is a beauty thanks to the voices of Falle Nioke and Blackboxx. Often the music of Barry Can’t Swim reaches a semi-spiritual high, thanks to songs like Always Get Through To You.

Does it all work?

It does – and because of the instinctive approach to recording, this is electronically based music with a living, breathing heart.

Is it recommended?

Yes. When Will We Land? is an uplifting piece of work made by a producer of great promise and potential. Barry Can’t Swim has definitely provided some sunshine for the winter months, serving notice of another new talent on the Ninja roster.

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Published post no.1,994 – Monday 30 October 2023