Barry Can’t Swim is back. The Scottish producer has unveiled a double single ahead of his hotly anticipated sophomore album Loner, set to drop July 11th via Ninja Tune. The tracks, ‘About To Begin’ and ‘Cars Pass By Like Childhood Sweethearts’, feel like two sides of the same emotional coin – one built for festival chaos, the other for quiet, early morning reflection.
‘About To Begin’ is Barry in full-flight mode: an adrenaline-pumped, high-BPM sprint tailor-made for peak-time dancefloors. Already a fan favourite from his recent North American tour, it throbs with the sweaty urgency of a set opener – or closer, depending on how deep the night’s gone.
Its companion piece, ‘Cars Pass By Like Childhood Sweethearts’, takes the opposite lane. Swapping build-ups for beatless stretches and club heft for hushed nostalgia, it’s a warm, melodic exhale; music for the Uber home, headphone-bound, as city lights blur by.
The singles follow previous releases ‘Kimpton’ (with O’Flynn) and ‘Different’, continuing the roll-out to Loner, the follow-up to Barry’s acclaimed 2023 debut When Will We Land?, which turned heads across the industry and landed Mercury and BRIT nominations in its wake.
With a headline slot at All Points East coming up this summer, Loner looks set to showcase Barry Can’t Swim’s most expansive, emotionally agile work yet – a producer equally at home in the sweat of the rave and the stillness that follows.
