Monique Barry is a Canadian artist who has crafted a beautiful song that reflects on the themes of loss and connection. With a creative approach to both the songwriting and production, “Time” fuses genres in an extremely refreshing way, carving out its own space as a truly unique piece of music.
“Time” immediately immerses you in its sound bed with a waltz of reverberated keys, bass, and strings that are reminiscent of the dark, ambient electronic genres of the 90s and early 2000s. Monique’s voice sits great in the mix, veering away from the auto-tune and over-reverberated mix that vocalists use today. Her voice is front and center, feeling conversational and intimate. There is a touch of Thievery Corporation, Massive Attack, Secede, Kettel, and Royksopp in the production choices and overall timbre.
The decision making in the composition is intentional with sprinkles of layered sound that come in and out. Horns and beautiful background harmonies swim through the mix, providing personality to the music’s atmosphere. The song is also patient, which is fitting for a song about time. Whether it’s the light kick percussion that arrives at the hook or the second verse that welcomes vocoder background vocals for just a few bars before the lead hypnotic vocals wash through the mix in a ghostly manner, the record is always providing nice subtle variations. Even the hooks aren’t a copy and pasted loop as the second hook introduces new vocalists to the mix alongside other new layers to the arrangement.
“Time” truly feels like a dream that is structured, but yet never feels predictable or repetitive. With a lot of music these days following trendy formulas, it’s refreshing to hear music that truly has its own voice and prioritizes self-expression over copycat approaches to songwriting.
For fans of originality and talented songwriting, Monique Barry is someone to look out for. “Time” is a beautiful meditation on the nature of time and impermanence that excels both musically and conceptually. If that interests you, you won’t be disappointed.
Written by Jon Kagan
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