Missouri born singer-songwriter Sam Barber is one of a crop of rising artists that have found their platform via social media. Posting on TikTok since 2021, Barber began to pick up traction thanks to his cover of Lynyrd Skynrd’s ‘Simple Man’. An attempt to transition that viral success to ‘American Idol’ stardom failed when Barber auditioned and progressed to Hollywood, but his time on the show was never aired. Following that experience, he doubled down on building a following and his 2024 debut album ‘Restless Mind’ achieved Gold status in the US. To date ‘Indigo’, his collaboration with Avery Anna, has been his biggest hit, but with the release of new album ‘Broken View’, it looks like Barber may see his star grow even further.
At only 22-years-old (Barber turns 23 later this month), Barber has the world in front of him. Musically he’s positioning himself along the likes of Dylan Gossett and Waylon Wyatt, similar artists who seem to be marketed to a Country audience despite not being remotely Country. If anything, Barber’s music is folk with a hint of rock and at the heart of it is the currently mumble trend of delivering vocals. For those that don’t know what that is, it’s where an artist doesn’t enunciate very clearly and it’s hard to understand what they’re singing. That is the case for most of this record.
‘Broken View’ opens with lead single ‘Borrowed Time’, a song that owes its melodies to 90s grunge. Crashing guitars are the star of the show, with Barber’s vocal getting a bit lost in the mix as the instrumentation builds. The acoustic-led ‘Far Past’ fares better, with Barber’s vocals sitting better in the mix. It’s one of the tracks on the record that showcases Barber’s true potential and the sound is one that suits him well. On ‘Just a Kid’ Barber aims for that euphoric 90s indie sound that dominated the radio and he almost gets there, largely thanks to the arrangement of the song.
What becomes clear quite quickly is that ‘Broken View’ has no interest in delivering variety. Barber is comfortable in the sound he’s pursuing and that means that the 13 tracks here start to sound very samey. ‘Hate It Here’ sounds a bit like a teenager having a tantrum while ‘All For You’ takes very light Country sensibilities for an almost up-tempo folk song. ‘The More I Hope’ is one of the only songs where Barber delivers his lyrics in a clear and easy-to-understand way, and it’s easily one of the best moments on the record.
In the album’s final stretch, the TikTok influence becomes more evident. Barber is making the kind of music that Gen-Z will use as their video sound while oversharing with the general population. Perhaps in 30-second bites this music comes into its own? ‘Hopeless Son’ is as desperate and miserable as it sounds, and the piano-led ‘I Will Follow’ captures what sounds like a toxic relationship where Barber ignores every red flag. The album ends on ‘Hope It Never Rains’, which completes a journey that is downbeat and in all honesty, a bit depressing.
Sam Barber clearly has his audience but I don’t think that audience is me. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with ‘Broken View’, it’s a record that is clearly geared towards Gen-Z and their current consumption habits. For me, I like to be able to hear clear enunciation in music and I enjoy a wide range of melodies. Barber sticks so closely to his formula, that one song merges into the next, and there’s nothing that truly stands out here. Barber has potential, that much is clear, but at the moment he’s not grabbing my attention.
Track list: 1. Borrowed Time 2. Far Past 3. Just a Kid 4. Hate It Here 5. Broken View 6. All For You 7. Satellite 8. The More I Hope 9. Hopeless Son 10. Lighthouse 11. Run 12. I Will Follow 13. Hope It Never Rains Record label: Atlantic Records Release date: 3rd April 2026 Buy ‘Broken View’ now
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