Australian duo Good MorningLiam Parsons and Stefan Blair are back today with the announcement of their new album, Barnyard, arriving October 22. Recorded pre-pandemic at Wilco's famed studio The Loft in Chicago, Barnyard is thoughtful, catchy, and idiosyncratic – all the things one might love about Good Morning – and nearly twice the average length of their back catalogue. Pre-order your Early Bird copy on Blue-In-Clear vinyl (limited to 1000) from the Polyvinyl Store

Our first look into Barnyard comes care of instant classic first single "Country". Written and sung by Liam, "Country" persists in spite of its appeal to return to a simpler, easier way of being. The pensive refrain sees Liam reflecting on his younger desires, wants and needs, and how they panned out into adulthood. He explains, "I’m still not sure if I’m singing to old friends, an old lover or my old self. I think probably all three. This song is an attempt from me to reconnect with my younger self as well as some key ghosts from my past and to move forward by looking back - pretty futile stuff really." 

Visually, "Country" is brought to life against a recurring backdrop of Liam's childhood, the 1st Eltham Scouts Hall: "I was always too embarrassed to admit that I was a scout to my school friends, the same way I was too embarrassed to admit that I got piano lessons. Both of those things are ridiculous. Scouts is cool and so are piano lessons."  Watch the Aidan McDonald directed video below.

Good Morning are rulebreakers. Not in a sexy, flamboyant way - more in a casual, resigned kind of way. Accidental and incidental rulebreakers. The creation and release of their sixth album is the result of a process of patient refinement and the breaking of a couple of self-imposed rules. For the first time in a long time, a Good Morning record was made with the help of an outside engineer, and will be released on a label that’s not operated by a friend. 

Barnyard is world-weary, concerned with the state of things in a loose, unfocussed sort of way. In other words, like we all are — frustrated both with the way things are and with everyone’s general inability to fix any of the many issues endemic to our society. In spite of the appropriately bleak vibe, these songs feature some of the band's catchiest and most distinctive productions. At The Loft, they found not only gear, but also a kindred spirit in Tom Schick, the studio’s in-house engineer. In the initial recording sessions, Tom was a guiding force, encouraging the band to actually record their demos instead of just trying out gear or talking shit for hours on end; as their time together grew, he became a close accomplice, the first non-friend ever brought in to help them record and, as such, a significant force in the outcome. The 12 tracks that comprise Barnyard are melodically and structurally unimpeachable, not overworked or over-proofed — just wonderful, appealing rock songs that are never laboured with overbearing production choices or self-serious tone, even when the content regards a world in decline.