Today, Of Montreal has announced their landmark 20th studio album, aethermead, is due out on June 5, on Polyvinyl Record Co. As the musical project enters its 30th year of existence, Kevin Barnes (he/she/they) has long been known to make diaristic and compelling hay out of chronicling the unfiltered nuances of his personal life. Wrestling with an emotional cavalcade of confusion, frustration and bitterness to passion, desire, and healing aethermead is something of a breakup record. But more importantly, it’s an account of personal rebirth.
As for the music, the speedy, almost punk-ish lead single,“When” chronicles a relationship that took place shortly after Barnes arrived in NYC, as well as what he discovered about himself in the process. “When’ is more a song about yearning, sadness, confusion, frustration…than it is a song about having sex. Clearly, all of the things listed in the verses are the things I actually desire. I’m hiding behind a shield of sexual bravado and pretending as if my only needs are physical. It’s very transparent that I’m longing for much more than just libidinal fulfillment, but those other things are being withheld,” said Barnes.
Aethermeadis a record that feels singular and newly energized, cementing Barnes, yet again, as one of indie rock’s most daring risk-takers and persistent curator of arguably the genre’s most sprawling and fascinating catalog of music. Be sure to catch of Montreal’s 2026 North American tour in a city near you – a live experience that is as unpredictable and electrifying as ever.
Photo Credit: Owen Ela
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