New Irish Music – Arrivalists – This Is Not Yours To Take
by Killian Laher

Pat Barrett has just released his latest Arrivalists EP and, true to form, it’s a collection of five slow, time-stopping songs.  Dedicated to his wife Louise, All The Depths opens with Barrett almost crooning over low, droning keyboards.

My Better Days has a fragile two-chord acoustic guitar pattern to accompany Barrett’s wounded, weary voice.  The haunting title track has impossibly downbeat guitar picking, but the track is a model of economy.  He only sings three lines, but he sounds so vulnerable, one of his most touching songs.  The Quiet Of The Noise In The City follows in a similar vein, a brittle, poignant song, Barrett singing “keep the heart strong” over guitar picking.  The final track, Everywhere You Go, Be You is more music for the small hours.

Patrick M Barrett, whether as part of Ten Speed Racer, Hedge Schools, or Arrivalists, has put his name to some of the more interesting Irish music operating on the margins.  It’s available via Bandcamp

https://thehedgeschools.bandcamp.com/album/this-is-not-yours-to-take