Jennah Barry disappeared for six years, and when she emerged again none of us had any idea what year it was. “Roller Disco’ her first single in all the time, sounds like it might have come straight out of the ’70s. We’re getting flash backs of Carole King and Gilbert O’Sullivan and wherever it was that we left our bellbottoms.
“A lot happened in between,” says Barry. “I needed to take a little break for my voice, but truthfully I was feeling a bit overly precious about what I would put out next. Either way, I take my time with song writing.”
Barry attributes the sound nylon guitars and breathy flutes and the path carved by the likes of Harry Nilsson, Burt Bacharach, and Emmylou Harris. We’re hearing the Bee Gees play your mother’s prom with a special appearance from guest vocalist Melanie. It’s retro and reminiscent of what used to make music great.
“The song is about feeding your own sadness for someone or being blue for so long that you (almost) start liking the feeling,” says Barry.
That retro vibe is onlya coincidence however. Barry seems to work from a strong sense of imagery that precedes the song itself. The fact that “Roller Disco” wrapped itself around that particular location is married to the scene more than the sound.
“I really just tried to think of the most melodramatic place to be sad and alone. To be fair, I think there are still roller discos out there. I think this is more… ‘you’re at a roller disco and maybe there’s disco music in the scene but there’s another song playing over that music’, which is my song. A song within a song. Inception. It’s the soundtrack to a sad disco scene.”
Barry says she can assure us that, despite the throw-back sound, her feelings are very current and based on her own personal experiences.
“Being stuck on someone isn’t a very new idea, and I was really stuck. It lasted long enough that I could only really write about being resigned to the feeling.”
In any case, we are glad to see that Jennah Barry has resurfaced and with a song worth waiting for. Her sophomore album is due out in January of 2019.
Tour Dates:
01.24.19 – Fredericton, NB @ Shivering Songs
01.26.19 – Halifax, NS @ In the Dead of Winter