Matt LuceyHistory of Barry J Walsh
Barry J Walsh is an Irish musician, born in Cavan and a proud member of Irelands song-writing community. With only 2 major previous singles, “Suddenly June” marks Barry’s third single release. Beginning in 2024, with the release of “Rescue me”, Barry successfully set his tone. That first release was extremely reminiscent of the classic 60s soft rock. A mixture of Kinks and Beach Boys, the sound was refreshing in its nostalgia. Following this, less that a year later, Walsh released “The Sound”. This was a clear continuation of the sound Walsh set in his initial release. The bright boppy tunes are a great thesis for the sound Walsh intends to follow. While not breaking any mould, its almost like finding unreleased songs from your favourite mid 60s soft rock bands.
Intro to the Walsh Band
From what little information is available online, it would appear that that Walsh runs a one man operation. No other credits or mentions of an accompanying band seems to point to the fact that this is somewhat of a one man operation. This is an impressive feat, given the quality of the releases to date. Walsh mixed the songs very well, with layered vocals, melodies and tidy drums and bass tones. The released songs aren’t confined to Ireland either, showing fans from all over the world.
Suddenly June
I was lucky enough to be get access to the early release of “Suddenly June”. This was my first exposure to Walsh as an artist and I was very enthusiastic about writing this article. I initially refused to believe that this artist along with the song, was not released in the 60s. The vocals throughout this are bordering on early Beatles and Beach Boys. Walsh layers melodies to give the illusion of a filled out band, a common scene in the 60s era this sound is based on.
The drums follow that vibe, having heavy influences in Ringo Starr‘s early work. The guitar melds well with the rest of the song. It fills out the sound and tying the rest of the song together without taking the stage for itself. The lead guitar work is similarly understated, and add accents to the song towards the end. The bass works alongside the guitar to build out that robust full band sound. This song is slightly softer that Walsh’s previous release “The Sound”. The single, overall, is a promising addition to Walsh’s works.
Walsh’s Release in Review
While there doesn’t seem to be any other releases on the horizon, I have high hopes. All 3 single releases so far have dropped since last year. I hold out hope that in the future, Walsh continues to release not only singles, but full albums of work. I see the appeal of Walsh’s work and wait in anticipation to see what he brings out next.
