''Loner'' is the second studio album by Scottish record producer Joshua Mainnie, under the alias

Barry Can't Swim Joshua Spence Mainnie (born 1991 or 1992), known professionally as Barry Can't Swim, is a Scottish electronic music producer and DJ from Edinburgh. His debut album '' When Will We Land?'' was released on 20 October 2023, being shortlisted for the ...

. It was released on 11 July 2025 via

Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an independent record label based in London, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1990 by musicians Matt Black and Jonathan More, known collectively as Coldcut. The label was established as an outlet for Col ...

in LP, CD and digital formats.

Background

The album was preceded by Mainnie's full-length debut release '' When Will We Land?'' in 2023. Mainnie referred to ''Loner'' as "the most authentic expression I could offer of myself and my life over the past year." "Different" was released as the album's lead single on 13 March 2025. It was followed by the second and third singles, "About to Begin" and "Cars Pass By Like Childhood Sweethearts", on 21 May 2025.

Critical reception

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reviewer Paul Simpson comparing the album with ''When Will We Land?'', noted ''Loner'' as an "easy improvement" and remarked, "he retains his ability to craft reflective, sentimental material while strengthening his skills at making airtight tracks designed to ignite the dancefloor." In a four-star review for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', Will Hodgkinson stated "There is something so straightforward about this music, so uplifting and, to put it simply, danceable, that it does sound like the soundtrack to the summer', and that it 'cements Barry Can't Swim as a superstar DJ of note". Writing for the British magazine ''

MusicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

'', Donovan Livesey stated, "In the end, ''Loner'' feels like a postcard from a whirlwind year, scrawled with moments of euphoria, self-reflection, and the comedown in between." ''

DJ Mag ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lati ...

'', described it as "a stunning, exploration of sounds that takes listeners on a genre-agnostic ride through fields of trippy spoken word, mind-bending breaks and piano-kissed house, all set against a moving backdrop of wistful soundscapes." Lucy Ward of '' the Skinny'', giving ''Loner'' a rating of four stars, remarked, "With ''Loner'', Barry Can't Swim cements himself as a boundary-pushing voice in electronic music, one fluent in mood, movement, and meaningful reflection." '' Clash''s Tom Morgan rated it eight out of ten and called it "an accessible and creative collection of colour-splattered dance music whose myriad delights feels all the more impressive for the fact that, like all the best parties, it doesn't even seem to be trying to be as fun as it is."

Track listing

References

{{Reflist 2025 albums Barry Can't Swim albums Ninja Tune albums Dance music albums by Scottish artists