Barrie Explores Sonic & Emotional Vistas On Forthcoming Album Barbara, Out March 25
Listen To “Quarry,” An Ode To Queer Love And Human Connection, at Paper Here
On March 25, songwriter and producer Barrie Lindsay will release Barbara, her first record since 2019’s highly acclaimed debut, Happy To Be Here. It’s an album that heralds a radical transformation: Lyrics previously whispered between melodic synths and hazy backbeats now rise to the forefront, telling highly personal tales of love and loss atop intense blends of instrumentation. A deeply personal record written in the wake of her father’s passing and the midst of falling in love with her now wife, Gabby, Barbara brings to life Barrie’s inner world with newfound boldness.
Says Barrie about the album: "The album is diaristic, but not in obvious or intimate ways. Music is my job, and it’s also intensely personal. I want the music to connect with people, but have reservations about the toll it takes on the artist to have to live up to whatever the music ends up representing for the listener. To connect with people about grief is beautiful, but I don’t want to relive the trauma of it at every show and interview. I also don't want to become desensitized to my sadness. There’s both rawness and a measure of control in the album; I want to make sure the project and the person are tied, but only by certain limbs.
Since I wrote, played, and produced the album by myself in isolation, with the help of my wife, it felt like it should be self-titled, but maintain that same sense of separation I achieved with the music. Barbara is my legal name, my formal name. No one calls me Barbara except the bank and the government, and odd occasions when my dad inexplicably introduced me that way to friends. Since my name and moniker are Barrie, calling the album Barbara felt like the fitting way to keep that balance between intimate and public."
Today’s single release “Quarry” showcases Barrie’s intrepid new sound, telling a tale of a romantic but bloodied afternoon atop erratic production. Opening somewhat eerily, forlorn synths wander through an aqueous soundscape before erupting into a full-force revelation. As euphoric “I love you’s” and the crashing of breakbeat drums fade into a gently pattering heartbeat, Barrie leaves the listener with a delicate yet well-earned sense of hope.
Barrie says of the song: “Quarry” is about falling in love in an isolated environment. There’s a surreal quality to the experience, but also explosive joy. Disjointed drums, syncopated bass, arpeggiated synth; the ground of the song shifts constantly. It’s uplifting but also a little wary.”
Directed by Emmy-Award Winning Robert Kolodny (Japanese Breakfast, Frankie Cosmos), the video for “Quarry” perfectly captures Barrie’s new willingness to let listeners into her world, celebrating queer love, human connection, and the joy of feeling truly seen by someone outside of yourself. Watch and read a feature on Barrie at PAPER here.
While mixed by Joseph Lorge (Phoebe Bridgers, Perfume Genius) and mastered by Patricia Sullivan (Mac Miller, Blake Mills), Barbara is entirely written, engineered, and produced by Barrie herself. During the making of the record, Barrie collected nearly a dozen instruments, including dulcimer, mandolin, clarinet, flute, cello, trumpet and her late grandmother’s harp to create the beautifully peculiar concoction of art-pop, crisp indie rock, and wondrous folk on Barbara.
Today’s “Quarry” follows the 7 inch fall release “Frankie” / “Dig,” the first taste of Barrie’s solo effort that Consequence praised for “rapidly expanding her indie pop sound to encompass larger, more personal ideas.” Barrie is currently gearing up for 2022 headline shows in New York and Los Angeles, plus opening for Sunflower Bean, SXSW, and a run of UK record store shows around album release.
Pre-order Barbara here: https://smarturl.it/barrie-barbara
Out March 25, 2022 via Winspear
Photos, lyrics, and more available HERE.
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