Review: Hayden J Barlow - Cutting corners

Hayden J Barlow has been gigging in and around the local scene since he was 16 but has taken things up a notch in the last year, recording and releasing a string of singles independently. Unhindered by the pandemic, his releases so far have gained him a loyal following of musicians and music lovers alike, gathering him local as well as national accolades from Regional BBC Introducing, BBC Radio 6 and Tom Robinson’s Introducing Mixtape. While some people in the industry have suffered in the last year, Hayden has gone from strength to strength as demonstrated in his highly anticipated new single "Cutting Corners".

Mixing old school soul vibes with modern new-age production, Hayden J Barlow's latest release encompasses intense and mellow all at the same time. Cutting Corners has a melodic, minimal vibe with a spine tingling bass and catchy guitar licks throughout, making the track as equally suited to being played loud in a car driving through the night as it is in a sunny garden, cold red stripe in hand.

This track features some stand out bars from Kanine9, an upcoming Manchester based rapper who matches Hayden's expressive vocals with his own eloquence and sincerity. The track oozes cool and is an exciting new progression in sound for this Barrow born artist.

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