Polly Barrett follows up the success of her 2021 single ‘Thinking About You’ off her “Dark Garden” EP with brand new single ‘Huge Mistake’. ‘Huge Mistake’ is the first single in the lead up to the release of her third album later this year and offers a taste of Polly’s brand new sound. ‘Huge Mistake’ is out July 6, 2023.
“I may not have done the things I thought I’d do // I may not have reached the heights I wanted to” laments Barrett in the opening lines of ‘Huge Mistake’. What begins as a retrospective look at life choices bobs and weaves with the realisation that while plans did not work out the way she thought they weren’t all huge mistakes. In fact, you could say ‘Huge Mistake’ is an ode to finding beauty and one’s peace in an unexpected place. Infused with her own very personal experiences of motherhood, love, and loss ‘Huge Mistake’ offers an intimate look inside the life of the Cork singer and a glimpse of what to expect from her upcoming album. Polly’s signature finger picked guitar is layered with cello, double bass, mandolin and low whistle to create an uplifting and evocative love song. Recorded in Polly’s living room in West Cork ‘Huge Mistake’ captures the warmth of Polly’s storytelling. ‘Huge Mistake’ was mixed by Chris O’Brien and mastered by Richard Dowling.
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. While she remained musically inactive for 6 years, the experience of motherhood, surrounded by the beauty of living in the wilds of West Cork continued to inspire her. 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. Since then, Polly has been fervently writing songs and experimenting with new musical sounds instilled by her own experiences and magic of the natural world. Using a loop pedal, bodhrán, guitar, tongue drum and low whistle, Polly has developed an exciting new sound which is as compelling to see being created on stage as it is to listen to. Polly performed an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance in the US in 2022 and plans to return to the US to perform at Milkwaukee Irish Fest alongside the Coronas, Wallis Bird and a host of other Irish acts. She has also played alongside Jack O’Rourke and Caoimhín O’Raghallaigh and recently wowed of Tradfest.
