of Montreal has announced their landmark 20th studio album aethermead due out June 5. 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.

aethermead is available for pre-order on LP & CD alongside some exciting, brand-new merch items! 

Barnes refers to aethermead as personal and confessional “to an embarrassing degree” – a descriptor that says less about its contents than what it took to lay them bare.

Following a dual split with both his then-fiancé and isolated surroundings of Vermont, Barnes relocated to Brooklyn, effectively falling in love with his new environment while rebuilding his mental state: “I've always had a romantic fascination with New York, but for forever I couldn't figure out how to make it work. The timing was perfect this time around.” The title “aethermead” itself draws direct inspiration from the sources of healing that Barnes has since embraced in his Brooklyn era; the Nethermead area within Prospect Park where he takes his dog for daily walks and his newfound meditation practice. Barnes also has an added benefit of having family nearby, serving as a balm for this current phase in his life.

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. Barnes shares, "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. It's much easier to say "When can I fuck you again?" than it is to say "When will you be loving, affectionate, and emotionally generous and make me feel whole again?"

Visualizer created by David Barnes

Straying from the electronic leanings of more recent of Montreal records, Barnes hunkered down in Brooklyn recording studio the Honey Jar with engineer Drew Vandenberg and members of the live band – drummer Clayton Rychlik, keyboardist Jojo Glidwell, and bassist Ross Brand. 

aethermead is 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.