of Montreal announces 'Freewave Lucifer f<ck f^ck f>ck' (out 7/29) with "Marijuana's A Working Woman" official video

June 1, 2022

Athens’ indie-pop legends, of Montreal have announced their brand new full-length album, Freewave Lucifer fck, due out July 29 (physical arrives September 9). Pre-order your Early Bird copy on Cloudy Yellow Vinyl (limited to 1000). When creators fClive Barker's Imajica, Andrei Tarkovsky's sci-fi classic Solaris, and Godard's Alphaville. But what happens to artists when the flow of time gets f^cked up IRL? When an hour stretches into eternity, and the voices in your head begin to echo through empty rooms? Kevin Barnes (they/them), the creative visionary behind of Montreal, found commonality with this plotline as the new collection came to life during a time when the flow of time was difficult to grasp for folks across the globe.

Like the staircases of M.C. Escher’s Relativity, the discrete sections of lead single "Marijuana's A Working Woman" crisscross and pivot, confounding the senses yet commanding attention. Arriving alongside a video visual featuring animation by Madeline Babuka Black, and artwork by Kevin’s brother David Barnes (who also created the album artwork), the explosive oddball art-rock track washes over listeners with a wall of funky, spacial synths and ethereal keys, commanding a nearly spiritual response.

"Like all the songs on the album, this one was informed by pandemic isolation and the psychological struggle inherent in that kind of existence," shares Kevin Barnes. "The lyrics are a free flowing collage of all that I was perceiving and absorbing during that time period. I swapped alcohol for weed midway through the pandemic and that is what the title of the song refers to." Watch below –

Isolation and uncertainty loomed throughout the genesis of Freewave Lucifer fck. Contemplating how time functions in music and experimenting accordingly, the new songs are dense with ideas but short on repetition, feel epic in scope despite reasonable running times. The expansive selections contrast markedly with the focused pop of 2020’s UR FUN, which was crafted for visceral thrills and the concert stage.

As it was for countless musicians around the world, the inability to tour eliminated one of the linchpins of Kevin Barnes’ creative process. Denied social interaction and diverse experiences, they delved inward. "Freewave is my term for wild and intractable artistic expression. Lucifer is the angel of enlightenment and elucidation. Fuck is something we say when things are going really well, or really badly," they detail.

The imagery and sentiments that bubble forth from their lyrical wordplay prove equally disorienting. Phrases borne of free association took on new meaning when introduced into a song. Other influences woven throughout include realist painter Edward Hopper, fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin, cinéaste Pedro Almodovar, and erotic illustrator Toshio Saeki. Kevin Barnes likens their compositional process to making collages from seemingly unrelated source materials, combining them in provocative ways to reveal new meanings. "It’s like collaborating with my subconscious in a way. It feels deeply personal, even though I don’t necessarily understand it at that moment."

of Montreal will embark on an extensive North American tour beginning this September with support from Locate S,1. Tickets are onsale now for what will be sure to be a spectacularly over-the-top live show of epicly disorienting proportions!