Barbagianni – Lately (2025)
Just over a month ago, The Other Side Reviews was introduced to synth-pop duo Barbagianni with their single ‘Queen of Verona’. A delicate blend of tranquillity and brashness as soul singer Amy Naessens explored the darkness of unrequited love. A sexy little number that had us eagerly awaiting more from Karl McCrone (guitar) and Matthew Keating (bass). Today, we sit up, turn up the volume, and prepare to enjoy their most recent EP, Lately.
The final release of the year, Lately is a combination of two already-released singles, ‘Oueen of Verona’ and ‘Punch Drunk’, and two original tracks, ‘Silicon Crystals’ and ‘Libero’. Produced by Barbagianni, the album travels across various realms of pop, skipping across decades, bringing retro tones to contemporary audiences. From the funk-inspired disco of ‘Queen of Verona’ and ‘Silicon Crystals’ to the electronic meets synth-pop sounds of ‘Punch Drunk’ and ‘Libero’, Barbagianni showcase their maturity, sophistication and means of finding the deep heart of a pop soundscape.
While each track on Lately entwines the boldness of Keating’s bass with the soaring of McCrone’s guitar, every song has a certain individuality. In ‘Punch Drunk’, the music slithers across like sloshing water in a bathtub, threatening a flood, but only tingles of lost ripples rush across the kaleidoscopic, bass-driven music with Daire Heffernan’s haunting voice.
Followed by ‘Silicon Crystals’, we find ourselves back in the 80s with a heavier synth-pop meets funk hitting us between the eyes. Soothing and smooth, particularly with the richness of TADGH’s vocals, the weave of synths, bass and guitar is warm and fun; however, it is Andy Mullan’s saxophone that really ups the ante in this track.
‘Queen of Verona’ features the soulfulness of Amy Naessens and the drums of Gary O’Reilly with a swoop of disco-funk-pop fusion. ‘Libero’ ends things with a lighter, airier tone wafting across a synth-pop-filled melody. Yet, while there is a fairy-like fancy in ‘Libero’ – particularly with the silvery tones of Ciara Dalton – a brush of distortion makes the track somewhat off-kilter and slightly obscure.
So, my overall opinion of Lately? In a word: fun. Infectious in some ways, but if you aren’t a fan of pop, you probably wouldn’t be impressed. Barbagianni ended 2025 with Lately, and I’m eager to hear what 2026 brings us.
Find out more about Barbagianni on their Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Bandcamp and Spotify.
This artist was sent to us by Jawdropper Music.
