A Year in Music – 2020 – Pat Barrett
by Killian Laher

We asked some of our favourite artists/ musicians about their year. You can see Pat’s thoughts below…

An extraordinary year in many ways.  How did it affect you specifically?

Indeed for so many a challenge, I suppose I’d decided in March to take a few months off the wheel of life, I’d a bit of rebuilding to do on a personal level, so the lockdown, the quiet, the return to simple things, well it suited me.  I’d an empty notebook, some miles to be walked and a record I’d promised myself I’d write to start and ultimately to try and finish.  I did that.  Released one or two Arrivalists tracks, and carried on filling pages with words I suppose.  Wrapping around people for a hug has been my biggest miss.

Where did music fit in during 2020?  Does it seem important?

Hugely, the space radio occupied became so important.  Look at the reach for the arts from everywhere, and people reinventing, creating, releasing music, despite it all.  Inspiring really, so yeah, huge part of the year for me.

What albums resonated this year?  Can be old or new.

The Shirley Collins record, Heart’s Ease, was just astounding.  The work of a true, true artist.  The double album from my man Joe Chester, Jupiter’s Wife, what a staggering work, segued with a beautiful inventive series of videos, the bright glistening Pop of A Girl Called Eddy, Been Around, produced by Daniel Tashin of The Silver Seas, the Kathleen Edwards record, was a wonderful return of more than just music for her it seems, the returning of a person.  Modern Nature, Drab City, Protomartyr, Arborist, Electric Soft Parade, Yorkston Thorne Khan, Bibio, on and on and on.  I listened to a lot of music in 2020.

If you had to pick one album to sum up this year, what would it be?

I’d have to plump for the Shirley Collins Record.  I got lost in it.  The craft of it.  I read her autobiography, All In The Downs recently and it was a staggering read.  Pure song archivist, collector, artist.

How have you got through the last 7 or 8 months?

I’ve read books, I walked, I swam, I wrote, I just stepped away, and then I had the cancer scare in June, so I think in many ways my body was telling me it was on the way in March.  So yeah… I was minding myself I guess for 7 months, something I’d forgotten how to do.

Are you working on any interesting projects?

Last Of The Written Pages will be the first Arrivalists record coming out 2021, all fully written, home demos recorded.  I had hoped it would see the light this year, but I’ve amended my expectations of strides, back to small steps.  I find it helps the headspace.

Any hopes for next year?

A pint in Nearys would be nice.  I’m a simple man.