Rambling into noise.

Barry Can’t Swim’s debut album, When Will We Land?, has been out for well over a year, but still feels as fresh as when I first heard it, which was, admittedly, much later than I should have.

The album playfully meddles house and electronica with genres such as jazz and afrobeat, with the result being an irresistibly fun and energetic piece of work . Each turn brings a new quirk or characteristic, all whilst flowing exceptionally through its eleven blissful tracks firmly rooted in dance.

First track and title tune When Will We Land?  introduces the album with a simple but catchy piano riff, before building up with dramatic strings and a crashing drumbeat. One thing I feel Barry Can’t Swim (A.K.A Joshua Mainnie) gets perfectly measured is the layering of elements throughout his tracks; there is a brilliant level of detail, whilst remaining light and without sounding cramped; it’s perfectly demonstrated here.

Second up, Deadbeat Gospel is one of the absolute highlights of this album. It’s an infectious anthem, featuring poetic lyricism from Northern Irish poet somedeadbeat, and drives this record to another level, just in time for its proudest passage.

Sonder and Sunsleeper sandwich the album’s biggest track, How it Feels: a sure-fire future house classic, if not already. This trio perfectly encapsulates the sound of Barry Can’t Swim, by exploring housey electronica melodies, jazzy keys, afrobeat-inspired percussion and vocal details, and balanced synth solos, which take the spotlight without overpowering the music’s other elements. The piano solo in Sunsleeper is particularly effective, and truly makes this song.

A calculated change of pace is brought by Woman and I Won’t Let You Down. The former sets the tone for this phase of the album nicely, whilst the vocals on I Won’t Let You Down, courtesy of Falle Nioke, are sublime. Joshua’s skill as a producer is demonstrated here; his ability to seamlessly integrate Falle’s beautiful West African vocals into this piece creates a blissful blend of afrobeat and dance.

The album is wrapped up neatly with Dance of the Crab and Define Dancing – two tracks with, once again, an excellent production. They are packed with a multitude of electronic details and effects – as if the record can tell its time is almost up, but hasn’t showcased everything just yet.

Since the release of this album, Barry Can’t Swim has had an incredible year, as his popularity has continued to surge. This is captured perfectly by his Glastonbury Festival Park Stage slot in June of this year, which was absolutely rammed. You could tell this booking was made when the artist had a much more condensed fanbase. Since, he has only continued to rise, recently selling out three shows at Brixton’s O2 Academy and headlining Manchester’s The Warehouse Project. It’s no surprise Barry Can’t Swim has just made BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 25 longlist, and has his own curated All Point’s East line-up for next summer. He’s clearly an artist with strong taste, excellent influences and the skills to be one of Britain’s best dance artists.