Ryan Jarvis – Moving Far Too Fast (Single Review)

By Ian Jackson

Eromeda Records 2015

Looking way back into my distant past I recall arriving in Manchester at the train station in 1989 all the way from …Watford.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Watford, I love the place I grew up there but it was and perhaps never shall be the ‘hip’ center of ‘cool’ that Manchester was then and still is today.

Back then one Mr Tony Wilson had met me and took me for a tour around the city and talked (and he COULD talk) for hours about socialism and the cities industrial past and of course, his much beloved night club and record label.

I had a hint of De Ja Vu when I arrived at Piccadilly train station this time around.

Andrew James Barclay to give him his full name set up Eromeda Records over 5 years ago with his sister and brother. Andrew was giving me a grand tour of the ‘Northern Quarter’ area of Manchester, seemingly very proud of his city.

And funnily enough, he’s a socialist idealist, just like Tony was.

I’m not comparing the two men in anyway side from one glaring and very obvious thing, the eye for talent and the joy of seeing talented men and women thrive. Ryan’s story with Eromeda started nearly 4 years ago.

David Barclay had been sifting through unsigned singer-songwriter acts for weeks.

He’d become depressed by what he was hearing. A rash of very promising artists

but nobody with ‘star quality’.

Upon hearing Ryan’s ‘Outside This Town EP’ Andy and David decided that Ryan was such a star and signed up him with a view to developing a raw talent into something polished and ready to blow music fans heads off.

All involved have succeeded.

‘Moving Far Too Fast’ is the perfect pop song.

Its melodies are spritely and slight but hang together like a wonderful frame for Ryan to hang his lyrics over.

Its perhaps the simplicity of Ryan’s work that saw this single peak at 28 in the iTunes Singer Songwriter Charts (two notches above Ed Sheeran).

The lyrics are simple. They tell simple stories. The melodies are simple. They lodge into the listeners mind like some form of musical ear worm and refuse to leave until you get your next fix of the song.

A great debut A side and one I’m sure he’s very proud of.

The B Side is a Piano version of his earlier crowd favourite ‘Outside This Town’.

It’s not the greatest recorded music I’ve ever heard I’ll be honest.

Although for a B Side its an interesting curiosity but the main treat here is the

single itself and what a single it is.

Maybe you can tell by now that I enjoyed Ryan’s work?

I’m also seeing a wide cross section of possible fans. I’m 53 in November.

My daughter is 19 herself soon and she loves Ryan’s single as much as I do.

Hopefully my next trip up to Manchester will be to meet and interview Ryan.

Until then I’ll keep this song on spin cycle, I implore you to do the same.