of Montreal have announced aethermead, their 20th studio album, which will be out June 5 via Polyvinyl. The album was made following a lot of personal upheaval in founder Kevin Barnes’ world, including a breakup with his then-fiance which found him relocating from Vermont to Brooklyn. “I’ve always had a romantic fascination with New York, but for forever I couldn’t figure out how to make it work,” Barnes says. “The timing was perfect this time around.”
If the album’s first single, “When,” is any indication, this album will be a little harder-edged than you may be used to from of Montreal. “I don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time, but I really don’t want to repeat myself either,” Kevin says, “and aiming for that is always a little bit hard, but it’s fun too.” Specifically about the song, he says, “‘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?'”
You can watch the “When” video below.
of Montreal will be on tour starting June 19 in Athens, GA and play NYC’s Webster Hall on June 23 with CorMae opening. Dates, which also include a run with Sloppy Jane, are listed below.
aethermead
1. Already Dreaming
2. Wanting on Air
3. Listen to Music and Cry
4. My Zhe Zhe
5. Take the Form
6. When 02:32
7. Hack it Up
8. Lacan in the Family
9. Having a Moment
10. From the Font of You
11. To Nothing’s Reward
12. Now We Cringe at the Thought
13. Dismissal Mosaics
of Montreal – 2026 Tour Dates
6/19: Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club ~
6/20: Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ~
6/21: Norfolk, VA @ The Annex ~
6/22: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ~
6/23: New York, NY @ Webster Hall ~
6/24: Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair ~
6/25: Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts ~
6/26: Buffalo, NY @ Asbury Hall ~
6/27: Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls ~
6/28: Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick ~
6/29: Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Café ~
6/30: Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall ~
7/01: Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall ~
7/02: Chattanooga, TN @ Barrellhouse Ballroom ~
7/03: Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle ~
7/04: Charleston, SC @ Charleston Pour House ~
7/21: Nashville, TN @ The Mil at Cannery Hall
7/22: St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall *
7/23: Wichita, KS @ WAVE *
7/24: Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater *
7/25: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Metro Music Hall *
7/26: Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall *
7/27: Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *
7/28: Seattle, WA @ Neumos *
7/29: Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall *
7/30: Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post *
7/31: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
8/01: Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Theater *
8/02: Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom *
8/03: Albuquerque, NM @ Sister *
8/05: Dallas, TX @ Trees *
8/06: Austin, TX @ Mohawk *
8/07: Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live *
8/08: Birmingham, AL @ Saturn *
~ w/ Cormae
* w/ Sloppy Jane