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Sep 08, 2021 By Caleb Campbell

Scranton, Pennsylvania-based indie rocker James Barrett is sharing his sophomore record, A Series of…Mostly Nothing, later this month. After building his sound with a series of EPs Barrett made his debut in 2019 with his first full-band record, The Price of Comfort, and took to writing his follow-up soon after in the waning pre-pandemic months.

His latest effort sees him expanding his instrumentation and songwriting to new heights, offering moments of both intimate, soft-spoken beauty and towering, stadium-filling alt rock. He also incorporating string and horn arrangements, synthesizers, and new sharply-honed chemistry with his band. He’s already offered a taste of what’s in store with “Oh My God” and “The Art of Letting Go,” and today he’s back with his latest offering, “Yellow Paint.”

The record’s early teasers have been rousing standouts, infusing sharp hooks with the boundless bombast of pop punk and the expressive delivery of emo greats. In comparison, “Yellow Paint” is vulnerable and stripped-back, with only a simple piano line, resonant string arrangement, and hints of chilly synths to accompany Barrett’s voice as he reflects on heartbreak and hope. The resulting track is Barrett’s most affecting yet, perfectly balancing melancholia, nostalgia, gentle optimism with lines like一“Love can start again, just gotta get out of my head.”

Barrett says of the track, “Writing ‘Yellow Paint’ felt like a monumental moment in my journey of writing music and in my journey of trying to find love for myself. I wrote this last May and immediately knew it was one of my favorite pieces I have ever created. The song features string compositions I wrote and had performed by my friends Teddy Lambert (cello) and James Palko aka Jimmy Montague (violin and viola). Like the rest of the tracks on the album, it also features Amanda Rogan of Sweetnest which completes the song. I wanted to go for a nostalgic “home movie” feel for this music video and I was a huge fan of my friend Adam Chase’s work on some Wicca Phase Springs Eternal music videos so I immediately called him and we got it done in record timing.”

Check out the song and video below and watch for A Series of…Mostly Nothing, due out September 24th via Refresh Records.