Following the success of singles ‘Huge Mistake’ and ‘Sapling Be’ West Cork based songwriter Polly Barrett releases her third album Sapling be… with focus track ‘Following Her Truth’. Sapling be… is out October 6.
Sapling be.. is available for pre-order on bandcamp and will be available in full only on Bandcamp from October 6. Polly is excited to host a listening party on Bandcamp on October 7 and fans can RSPV for this at https://pollybarrett.bandcamp.com/album/sapling-be. Meanwhile, Polly will continue to drip feed segments of the album on other platforms including iTunes, Spotify, Deezer and Soundcloud.
With two studio albums to her credit Polly Barrett is no stranger to the creative process of writing and recording albums. However, it took the birth of her son and her rebirth as an artist for Polly to find her authentic truth. Recorded in her home in West Cork Sapling be… is fully dedicated to her son who came up with name itself as he strummed the guitar as a toddler. Saturated in Polly’s new home life the record is imbued with her struggles as writer’s block got its angry claws into her and the ethereal, meditative peace she found and made for herself in West Cork as she navigates the path of motherhood.
Speaking on the album Polly Barrett says, “The great thing about ageing is how much you learn about life as you go. In my 20s I thought I knew everything, but it wasn’t until I had my son at 31 that the real learning began. Our children can be little mirrors, showing us our weaknesses and our strengths, our patterns and our pitfalls. Before I became a mother I thought I would teach my child everything I knew. I didn’t expect to learn so much from him! The journey of motherhood has brought me to know myself. What a gift!”
Initially used as a tool for meditation, the tongue drum found a place in Polly’s songwriting opening her up to fully embody the music. Ethereal and rhythmic both ‘Sapling Be’ and ‘Hedgerow’ were written with just the tongue drum and loop pedal. Other songs also feature the loop pedal including ‘Huge Mistake’, ‘Sparrow’, and ‘Standing by The Sea’. Polly plays most of the instruments on this album which include acoustic guitar, tongue drum, bodhrán, tin whistle, low whistle, bass guitar and piano. Polly has several upcoming live shows where fans will be able to experience the songs in new ways as she uses different instruments in her live performances to the recorded songs.
Released singles ‘Huge Mistake’ and ‘Sapling Be’ introduced fans to Polly’s journey through motherhood. Of ‘Sapling Be’ Polly says “The song is like a wish for my son that he grows strong and tall like a great oak tree, and with his roots firmly in the ground. That he never forgets his connection to nature.” ‘Huge Mistake’ is an ode to finding beauty and one’s peace in an unexpected place. Both singles saw Polly earn support from RTE Radio 1’s Louise Duffy, Today FM/98FM’s Claire Beck, Lyric FM’s Marty Whelan, Dublin City FM’s John Barker and Newstalk’s Sean Moncrieff. Sapling be… was mixed by grammy-nominated producer Chris O’Brien (Clannad, Aslan, and Emma Langford) and mastered by Richard Dowling at WAV Mastering, Limerick.
Polly Barrett is a well-known name on the Irish folk scene. After releasing 2 albums, 2011’s Mr Bookshop and Probably Me in 2014 she took a break from music to focus on family. During the Covid-19 pandemic Polly quietly recorded and released “Dark Garden”, an EP of four new songs, one of which, ‘Thinking About You’ was chosen for a Discover Ireland Campaign for West Cork. Polly performed an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance in the US in 2022 and has just returned from performing at Milkwaukee Irish Fest in the US alongside the Coronas, Wallis Bird and a host of other Irish acts. She has also played alongside Jack O’Rourke, Caoimhín O’Raghallaigh and recently wowed at Tradfest.
Sapling be… is out October 6. Single ‘Following Her Truth’ is out October 20, 2023.
