Ryan Beatty - Calico

Since the release of 2018’s defining ‘Boy In Jeans’, Ryan Beatty has captured the complexities of queer love, landing a careful balance between the universal simplicity of love and the damage of internal and external criticism. “God is real, he was sleeping in my bed last night,” he delicately pored on the album’s almost-title track, a bold and unapologetic acceptance of his sexuality and an early example of the power of his words. On 2020’s ‘Dreaming Of David’, he paired this sensitivity with broader sounds, not least on the build from sultry tones to a drum and bass crescendo on fan favourite ‘Evergreen’.

Three years later, ‘Calico’ arrives with the more straightforward ‘Ribbons’, the opener presenting an altogether more direct affair, safer in its tones and its words. The rougher edges that underpin both previous records are replaced by subtle orchestrations, including work by collaborator extraordinaire Justin Vernon. Yet most of ‘Calico’ opts for a gentler, guitar-led sound, a step away from the excitement that bubbled through both ‘Boy In Jeans’ and ‘Dreaming Of David’.

Ryan still finds the magic in his lyrics (“It’s brave to be nothing to no one at all,” he sings on ‘Ribbons’), relying more heavily on the undeniable quality of his voice. The beauty of love in all its facets is laid bare across a series of more mellow tracks, often torn across the duality of affection. “Love will always last, love will always hold me down / What is it all about?” he sings on standout ‘Bruises Off The Peach’. At its core, ‘Calico’ continues to search for the answer for those left to find their own path through love.