Artist Spotlight: Meet Barrelly Ego
Punk Head: Your motto is "Scraping the bottom of the barrel for any drop of inspiration." Be honest, how often does the barrel talk back?
Barrelly Ego: The barrel does talk back, but it's mostly the echo of my own voice—the "Barrelly Echo," if you will (pun absolutely intended)-saying "I'll scrape your back if you'll scrape mine." It's a reminder that as an artist, I'm constantly hunting for inspiration and catharsis in every small event and feeling I experience, whether positive or negative. Sometimes the barrel is generous, sometimes it's bone dry, but I keep scraping anyway.
Punk Head: "3rd Rock" wrestles with parenthood, purpose, and panic all at once. What was the moment that sparked this song?
Barrelly Ego: The song was born long before any of my kids were, back when I was barely grappling with the idea of having children and feeling quite immature myself. But the first lyrics that came up were "I would cry/fight/die for you," and from there I realized it had to be about a higher purpose and meaning. Initially, I was going to call it "42" as a reference to the "meaning of life" cult classic scene in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." When our second child arrived, it made even more sense—"for the two..." (forty-two) alongside that earlier lyric.
As our third child arrived, "3rd Rock" started to crystallise: (1) the heavy responsibility of being a parent of three kids, (2) a reference to the 3rd rock from the Sun—Earth being the only planet with life forms we know of, another variation on the meaning of life, and (3) rock music itself, symbolizing my stubbornness in refusing to give up the "dream" and not quitting my passion for making music, whether professionally or just as a burning hobby. I still managed to sneak the 42 reference into the final version in the first verse, and I'm keeping the concept alive by naming my upcoming EP "43VR."
Punk Head: Parenthood often makes everything feel high-stakes, especially art. How has becoming a dad changed the way you write?
Barrelly Ego: Yes, it absolutely has. But it didn't change *how* I write—it changed *when* I write. That is: whenever I have time. Whether it's writing (and sometimes even recording) while sitting in my car waiting to pick up the kids from their extracurricular activities, or squeezing in sessions between bedtime routines. There's no time for procrastination anymore. We'll sleep when we're dead.
Punk Head: You mention the conflict between ego and imposter syndrome. Who usually wins when you sit down to write?
Barrelly Ego: Sleep deprivation. Jokes aside, my greatest inspiration comes when my ADHD kicks in while I'm trying to fulfill my tasks at my day job. Low-key self-sabotage seems like a fair trade for a micro-dose of epiphany—always cut short by good old imposter syndrome, of course. But honestly? That keeps me hungry. Keeps me foolish.
Punk Head: "It takes a village" - who are the unexpected villagers helping you raise your tiny humans and your music career?
Barrelly Ego: Well, my wife is the main villager doing most of the heavy lifting with the kids and being my greatest support in my music career, followed closely by my dear mother-in-law. Unfortunately, living in a different country far from home, family, and friends means we're mostly on our own—just two adults with full-time jobs and career aspirations trying to figure it all out.
On that note, it's worth mentioning that the rather decent social safety net for fresh parents provided by the government shouldn't be brushed over. Also, having just received an artist grant from the regional Ministry of Culture was a huge boost-financially and to my confidence in equal measure. A somewhat scaled spin on "it takes a village" if I may. Either way nothing beats being part of a good, supportive community as opposed to hyper-individualism we are gradually encouraged to embrace.
Honorable mention while we're at it: a huge shoutout to Angi Seserman for helping me with music production from early on, when I was still working on my first songs as a solo artist.
