Over an unpredictable 20-year career, Kevin Barnes has led Of Montreal on a trip through rock history. The band has remade everything from heady psychedelia to hedonistic glam rock – all in their own twisted image. But for the upcoming album, Innocence Reaches, frontman Barnes admits to finding inspiration in more contemporary sounds, including electronic artists like Jack Ü, Chairlift and Arca.
“I’m always searching for new inspiration,” he explains. “I really liked what I heard from those artists and felt like they were creating new sounds that I hadn’t heard before. I really loved their production styles and wanted to make something in that sort of vein.”
While long-time fans may cringe at Barnes’ admission that the group’s 14th disc includes a song that “feels EDM,” the frontman promises that the disc will touch on a variety of styles, from electro to prog-rock.
The new influences mark a noticeable shift from last year’s Aureate Gloom, an album largely shaped by New York’s hallowed 1970s punk scene. Describing Of Montreal’s new disc as the “group’s most light-hearted album in years,” Barnes admits that Innocence Reaches is an attempt to “start a new chapter.”
“I think I finally started to forgive myself for the dissolution of my marriage and started feeling more hopeful again,” he explains. “A lot of the songs on the album are still pretty dark, at least lyrically, but there’s a more positive energy within it all.”
This dichotomy is present in the record’s lead single, ‘It’s Different for Girls.’ The track’s synth-dance groove (and joyous music video) is paired with lyrics sympathizing with the many women who have to put up with daily bullshit.
“I have an 11-year-old daughter so gender politics and the female experience are topics that I think about a lot,” Barnes explains. “Globally, women’s rights are not the priority that they should be. Far too often men create laws that attempt to subjugate women and make them feel inferior. I think it’s disgusting.”
When Innocence Reaches is released later this month, the group will be in the midst of an inaugural China tour that stops off in Beijing (Aug 11 @ Yugong Yishan), Guangzhou (Aug 12 @ T:Union), Shenzhen (Aug 13 @ B10) and Shanghai (Aug 14 @ MAO Livehouse - tickets available through That's here).
“We’ll be debuting a lot of the songs on this tour,” Barnes says. “We’ve created a completely new live show for this. I’m going do costume and makeup changes, so there will definitely be a strong theatrical element to the show. It will also include a wide variety of songs from a lot of the albums.”
With 14 full-length records to their name, Of Montreal have plenty of material to choose from. The group have maintained a steady output since emerging in mid-1990s Athens, Georgia – the college town that famously produced alt-rock icons R.E.M. and the ‘Elephant 6’ collective that Of Montreal was once a part of.
“It was great at the time to feel the support of a group of like-minded artists and to be part of such a creative environment,” Barnes recalls. “I learned a lot from [fellow Elephant 6] bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control.
“I looked up to them like they were my older brothers. I tried to learn from their experiences in the music industry, and network through their contacts. It was a great education on many levels.”
After 20 years in the game, Of Montreal now act as a source of inspiration for upcoming indie acts. Barnes credits the band’s endurance to being “sort of autistic about music” and to “never getting bored or stuck in a rut creatively.”
“I always feel like I have something to prove,” he adds. “I don’t feel satisfied with anything that I’ve ever created. That is what drives me to keep trying to create something decent.”
His ferocious work ethic also helps. Although Innocence Reaches hasn’t even been released yet – and two long tours of America have been planned for the year – Barnes is already thinking about the next album.
“I think it will be of a more collaborative nature,” he says. “I want to get a bunch of guest vocalists to contribute; at least that’s my vision at the moment.”
Of Montreal China tour:
Beijing: Aug 11, 9pm, RMB180-220. Yugong Yishan.
Guangzhou: Aug 12, 8.30-10pm, RMB150-180. T:Union.
Shenzhen: Aug 13, 8.30-10pm, RMB150-180. B10.
Shanghai: Aug 14, 9pm, RMB180-220. MAO Livehouse, tickets.
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