“Lyrically, it’s clear that James isn’t spinning tales to entertain. In each of the album’s eleven, intricately penned tracks—many of which were several years in the making—he’s sharing his truest emotions. The inconvenient ones, the painful ones, his struggles. And he manages to hit on a number of heavy-handed themes, including co-dependency, bitterness, hitting rock bottom, and grief, all while wearing the scars of someone who’s survived them.”

— Ivy Cayden, My Multi-Track Mind

“I’ve been unintentionally flinching every time I hear a song that’s too on-the-nose with references to the tumultuous events of the past year. First off, I’m still living in it. Hearing songs starkly explaining the events and not the feelings only makes my general malaise more…. malaise-y. James strikes the perfect balance by referencing details that cause the pain”

— Paige Williams, Soft Sound Press

“What truly propels his story is the captivating and evocative vocals, paired with intelligently layered guitar work; Barrett starts a listener in his deep troubles, but projects them into a heartening promise that one day, everything works out.”

— Dan Calderone, For The Punks

“Love Song in 2020 is a beautiful meditation on how everyone is dealing with both the “Death and destruction of the earth,” while also having to navigate the intricacies and difficulties of their personal lives that didn’t go away just because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic. It’s about fear, despair, loss, and fighting to still see hope on the other side of it all”

— Brendan Higgins, Grandma Sophia’s Cookies