Establishing the mood with intricate guitar arpeggios, Johnny Barr opens Break the Fall with a captivating Glaswegian accent as he shares deeply metaphorical prose, and an emotive intention. The opus expands with minimalist percussion, consisting of tambourine and subtle drum work before it develops with a fierce electric guitar soundscape as we are immersed further in Johnny’s universe.
The choral vocal elements are sublime, tapping into our heart’s centre as Johnny conveys his wisdom and cerebral mindset. Before we know it, a musical interlude with a stunning guitar solo leads us to an anthemic and stadium-worthy finale! We are in awe!
There is a sense of ancestral nostalgia that manifests, not only with Johnny’s words, but his choice of accompanying instrumentation. We learn that the Scottish star draws influence from Fleetwood Mac for the emotive vocal arrangements and classic prog rock elements. We can feel this come to life with his chord choices, but it is also clear that Johnny’s poetic prowess is unto his own.
With reference to his journey as an artist, Johnny confesses, “I recently became a qualified music therapist, and part of my studies involved personal therapy sessions. During these sessions, I discovered much more about myself and began to understand why I am the person I am today.”
He continues, “I spent so much time away from writing that I became insecure about my abilities and feared the idea of failing as a songwriter. After discovering this insecurity and processing it, I was able to relight my motivation and passion for writing music again.”
With reference to his genre expansive sound, Johnny adds, “I believe the music has a unique sound that hasn’t been explored before. The combination of instrumentation, styles, and songwriting probably hasn’t been combined before in this way.”
We love the raw, emotive and authentic manner in which the rising artist creates, and have added Break the Fall to our New Music Spotlight playlist, as well as our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Johnny Barr, including his debut, Remember to Breathe, and his sophomore single, Forgive & Forget.