Brighton duo, Barbara ensures the fine tradition of English Satirical Pop lives on!

Release Date:  26^th November 2021

Label: Self release

Formats: Streaming

Don’t let the name mislead you – Barbara is a Brighton-based duo – brothers Henry and John Tydeman, in fact, and I think I’m going to like them.  A lot.  Rainy Days in June is their third single and it comes hot on the heels of their previous releases, These New Communications and BRB, and all three are wonderful examples of bouncy, infectious English Satirical Pop in the best tradition of The Bonzos and Stackridge or, if you’re not as old as me, The Divine Comedy or The Duckworth Lewis Method.

Produced by Tom Rees, frontman with like-minded Cardiff rockers Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Rainy Days in June is a thoroughly infectious piece of fun that you’ll find yourself humming, long after you’ve finished listening – it’s one of those tunes that gets right inside your head and refuses to come out!  The brothers take their satirical cue from Harold Pinter, George Orwell and Ray Davies and, whilst they suggest that their musical influences take in both Glam Rock and Broadway musicals, to me, at least, there’s something quintessentially and pastorially English about their whole outlook.  It’s already been suggested that these boys are going to go on to achieve amazing things and, having listened to their output so far, that’s a conclusion with which I have to agree.  I’m certainly looking forward to the debut album!

Rainy Days in June is tight, clean and punchy with joyous piano (“Spiky” it says in the press release and, yes, I’ll go along with that), some nice solid guitar licks and marvelous harmony vocals.  The escapist lyrics are great fun – expressing a preference for spending holiday time with an engaging book, rather than by partying – and they make the listener yearn for a slice of slow-paced tranquility, far away from the mad pace of everyday life.  Altogether, it’s exactly what I needed to hear on a dark November afternoon in the middle of a cold snap!

And having listened to the duo’s earlier singles, I’m convinced that Rainy Days in June isn’t a one-off.  Both These New Communications and BRB are equally engaging and infectious; clever satirical pop with references to Slade, ABBA and even Sinatra (you can check out both These New Communications and BRB via Barbara’s Spotify link below).   Barbara is a band to watch out for – they’re already making waves; expect a tidal surge to emerge from Brighton anytime soon…

Watch the Official Video to Rainy Days In June here:

Barbara Online: Website/ Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram/ Spotify/ YouTube

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