Kevin Barnes (he/she/they) unfurls another layer with the robust, dreamy jangle of second album cut “Already Dreaming” released Tuesday. Beautifully directed by his daughter Beatrice Barnes who is currently enrolled in film school, the accompanying video fearlessly bares the raw vulnerability and trepid hope experienced just before Kevin’s romantic split which landed him near her back in NYC."

Director Beatrice Barnes said, “My vision for this music video was inspired by ’60s films and surrealist media. Listening to the song, I immediately saw a surrealist dream-like treatment centered around yearning and isolation in someone else’s presence. Stuck in a dilapidated house, an unhappy couple lives in conflict. One desperately fighting for the other’s attention while the other repels every effort.”

“I wrote this song while still living in Vermont,” said Kevin. “I can see now that it was a sad augury for the end of my eight year relationship and the close of that important chapter of my life. As sad as the song is, it does point to new beginnings and the blind hopefulness inherent in ripping it up and starting again. Working with Beatrice on the music video was a dream. I loved watching her do her directorial thing. One of the main reasons I moved to NYC was to be closer to her and it felt really special to be able to collaborate on an art project together.”

As the musical project enters its 30th year of existence, Kevin 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, he 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," Kevin said. The title “aethermead” itself draws direct inspiration from the sources of healing that Kevin 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.

"aethermead is a record that feels singular and newly energized, cementing Kevin 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," officials said. "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."

Tickets start at $31 and may be purchased here.