Barbed

Leo Gibbon returns to Mudline with barbed, a six-track suite built from dust-worn samples pieced together from a balcony while travelling. Stripped back to essentials, it lets cracked loops, negative space and tactile percussion do the work, holding onto the emotional weight of every fragment.

James Massiah features with a measured performance shaped by the cadence of archived poet freestyles. Rather than a typical guest spot, his voice folds into the record’s weathered textures, becoming part of Gibbon’s collage and deepening its sense of memory, rhythm and lived experience.

The first half leans inward before the second gradually opens towards the dancefloor, never losing its emotional pull. Even at its most club-focused, barbed keeps things understated. Mastered by Miles Whittaker, every grain, scrape and imperfection stays intact, balancing grit with clarity.