Nearly five years to the day since they first played, The Barrowdowns have made the decision to embark on an indefinite hiatus.
Not all bands can be judged based on their physical discography. Looking back on the amount of music The Barrowdowns released over the course of half a decade it may seem somewhat modest. They released a self-titled EP in 2016 and their full album, Come What May Come, followed the next year.
It all amounts to 11 to 15 songs total, depending on how you look at it. But to judge the impact that The Barrowdowns have had on Atlantic Canada’s music scene by that alone would be a gross misrepresentation. The band has been a constant presence at music festivals. They were everywhere; it was practically a definitive sign of festivals season to see The Barrowdowns out and about.
Formed in April of 2014, the band began in a completely different part of the country while Rowan Swain (vocals, guitar) and
Kendra Breen (vocals, violin) were living out West and calling themselves The Great Outdoors.
Eventually they added Adam Martin (vocals, drums ) and Dave Fultz (vocals, banjo, violin, electric guitar) to the mix. But band didn’t really become The Barrowdowns until returning from out West and added Neal Read (vocals, bass) to the mix. It was also around the same time that the band learned that The Great Outdoors was not only the name of many, many cover bands, but also the title of a film. And so, they chose to rechristen themselves The Barrowdowns in honour of Tolkien’s masterpiece and a reflection of their own folky and vaguely Middle Earth-ish sound.
The band quickly became known for producing beautifully crafted and even haunting (forgive the cliché) songs featuring five-part harmonies and remarkably well-balanced instrumentation. Combined with an engaging presence that went far beyond the stage and it’s unsurprising that The Barrowdowns could be found at festival after festival.
They were voted Best Folk Band in The Coast twice, taking gold in 2016 and Bronze in 2017, and their album was nominated for Music Nova Scotia Folk Recording of the Year 2017, and ECMA Rising Star Recording of the Year 2018.
But in the words of George Harrison, “All Things Must Pass.” The band made the decision almost five years to-the-day after their first performance to go their own ways.
“The band has been the primary focus for all of us musically for the last five years and I think we just want to take some time to recharge and put that energy into new things,” says Swain.
Swain says that some members of the band will be pursuing their musical careers in new directions, but not all of them.
“I think it’s safe to say we’re all going to continue making music, but we have other things we want to devote time to that aren’t music related as well. I think a lot if it is kind of up in the air, which is kind of the exciting part,” says Swain.
“The album was really fun to work on and we’re all really proud of it, but, at least for me personally, I think just getting the opportunity to create music with the five of us and share that with so many people has been the best part.”
The band want to reassure everyone that they’re not quite done yet. They still have festival season ahead of them. The Barrowdowns will be taking bookings for this Spring and Summer, which will be announced on their social media and website once the dates have been confirmed.