Barrie’s Atmospheric Pop Anthem for Thought Ownership

6 March, 2023Print

Barrie’s Atmospheric Pop Anthem for Thought Ownership

Listen to “Empty”

New EP 5K Out March 31 via Winspear

Playing SXSW Showcases March 13-18 With FLOOD, KUTX, Gorilla vs. Bear, Consequence x Brooklyn Bowl, Paste and more

Today, Barrie releases “Empty,” the latest look into both her “kaleidoscopically vivid inner world” (New York Times) and her forthcoming EP 5K, a collection of light-hearted and exploratory songs that stand apart from the emotionally-charged tracks off her 2022 album, Barbara.

Enshrined in a hazy swirl of atmospheric pop and fluttering synths, Barrie’s feather-light harmonies profess distaste for the senseless barrage of the outer world on her own thinking: “I like to be so like-minded, I like to be reminded, Like an unproven science, Gotta look what’s behind it.” Listen to “Empty” here: https://youtu.be/ssKdKoZ2JBM

““Empty” is me reflecting on and getting angry about how so many of my thoughts aren’t my own; it’s a mix of taste and ideas printed on my brain by my culture, my upbringing, people around me while in any impressionable age,”says Barrie of her inspiration for the track. “I’ve been trying to take back ownership of my thoughts, and access what I actually think and feel. I have to take responsibility for the things inside my head.”

While most would finish listening to the project front-to-back before finishing a 5 kilometer run, each listen to Barrie’s forthcoming EP unveils a new lovingly crafted detail. Whether it’s the cinematic cascade of sampled woodwinds on opener "Nocturne Interlude" or "Unholy Appetite" summoning a uniquely expansive vision of Madchester, with its masculine bravado replaced by yearning melodicism, 5K showcases Barrie in an exploratory mood, sketching out new sonic territory that remains true to the enveloping sound world that has become Barrie’s signature.

5K follows a big year for Barrie that include her first ever run of headline shows, tours alongside Alex G (US) and Japanese Breakfast (UK/EU), and the release of her solo LP debut, Barbara, that garnered critical acclaim: Billboard deemed the LP “one of the most complete pop full-lengths of 2022” while Consequence lauded it as “an album that truly sounds like no other” plus support from The New York Times, FADER, NPR, PAPER, NYLON, and many more. Barrie also appeared on the cover of Spotify All New Indie twice in 2022.

Lead single “Races” is a delightfully baroque synth-pop track set to a unique 12/8 time, garnering praise from Consequence, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan and more, listen here.

Plus, Barrie is headed to SXSW this March, performing showcases with FLOOD, KUTX, Gorilla vs. Bear, Qobuz, and more… Check out a performance of “Quarry” on Gorilla vs. Bear here to get a taste of the show-stopping, pastel-palette Ronettes-meets-K Records choreography of her live show, full dates below.

Pre-order 5K here: https://lnk.to/barrie-5k

Photos, lyrics, and more available here

‘5K' TRACK LIST:

1. Nocturne Interlude

2. Races

3. Unholy Appetite

4. Ghost World

5. Empty

TOUR DATES:

Feb 09 – New York, NY @ Rough Trade NYC

Mar 10 - 19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW

03/14/23 – Austin, TX @ Women That Rock - Cheer Up Charlies (4:15pm)
03/14/23 – Austin, TX @ House Johnson - 907 E 39th St (9:00pm)
03/15/23 – Austin, TX @ Paste - High Noon (1:20pm)
03/15/23 – Austin, TX @ Academy Fight Songs - Mohawk (12:10am)
03/16/23 – Austin, TX @ FLOODfest - Mohawk (1:30pm)
03/16/23 – Austin, TX @ Qobuz - KMFA Event Space (3:30pm)
03/16/23 – Austin, TX @ Gorilla vs. Bear x Luminelle - Las Perlas (9:00pm)
03/17/23 – Austin, TX @ KUTX Morning Broadcast - Scholz Garten (7:00am)
03/17/23 – Austin, TX @ Winspear x POND x Luminelle - Cheer Up Charlies (4:30pm)
03/18/23 – Austin, TX @ Consequence x Brooklyn Bowl - Empire (3:00pm)

PRAISE FOR BARRIE + BARBARA:

“The work of an introvert with a kaleidoscopically vivid inner world.”

— The New York Times

“Barrie takes a real creative leap…just brilliant.”

— NPR Music

“One of the most complete pop full-lengths of 2022.”

— Billboard

“An album that truly sounds like no other.”

— Consequence

“Like a dreamier spin on Fleetwood Mac… Blurs the line between indie rock and pop in a somewhat mystic fashion.”

— Stereogum

“Barrie's sweet-sounding voice swims in a pool of dreamy pop.”