of Montreal

of Montreal is an American indie pop group from Athens, United States, active since 1996. The band is fronted by Kevin Barnes, who writes, composes and plays most of the music. Its current membership includes Derek Almstead, Bryan Poole, Kevin Barnes, Jamey Huggins, Andy Gonzales, Dottie Alexander, Davey Pierce and Bennett Dean Lewis.

Background and sound

The group forms part of the second wave of acts associated with The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Its music combines experimentation with pop song structures, using catchy melodies and sing-along choruses alongside changing arrangements and styles. Early releases lean towards lo-fi indie pop and twee pop, while later records draw on psychedelic music, vaudeville, music hall, afrobeat, funk, krautrock and reggae. In the 2010s and 2020s, Barnes introduces more electronic and EDM elements, and the releases from White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood to Lady On The Cusp reflect new wave and hyperpop influences. The group’s sound changes from album to album.

Formation and early releases

of Montreal begins as Kevin Barnes’ solo project before he relocates to Athens. There he meets Derek Almstead and Bryan Poole, and the three record the first album, Cherry Peel, along with The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower and The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy. Barnes names the group after a failed romance with a woman from Montreal, although the story varies in interviews.

Before the release of the third album, The Gay Parade, the group issues several singles and a re-release of The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower. That album, released in 1999, features contributions from members of the Elephant 6 collective and artwork by David Barnes, Kevin Barnes’ brother, who continues to design later sleeves. It marks a move towards a fuller sound and more narrative writing, which also continues on Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse. These records use invented characters and fictional conversations, and often echo the style of 1950s radio drama.

Line-up changes and label shifts

After work on The Gay Parade begins in 1998, Bryan Poole leaves to focus on Elf Power. Barnes then adds Jamey Huggins and Dottie Alexander, who had previously performed together as Lightning Bug vs. Firefly, and Andy Gonzales, from Marshmallow Coast. Derek Almstead also moves from drums to bass.

After The Gay Parade, the band signs to Kindercore Records, which releases several singles and compilations. Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse appears as an album of original material in 2001. Aldhils Arboretum follows in 2002 with a more direct song structure and a more danceable approach, including the closing track “Death Dance Of The Omipapas and Sons For You”. The band tours successfully after the album and plays in the UK for the first time. Kindercore folds soon afterwards, leaving the band’s position uncertain.

Electronic turn and later work

On Satanic Panic in the Attic Barnes writes and performs most of the material himself, after personal and internal band tensions. The album appears on Polyvinyl Records and becomes one of the group’s more successful releases at that point. Bryan Poole returns for the 2004 tour, while Nina Barnes contributes some bass. The record shifts the group towards a more electronic sound within more traditional structures.

The Sunlandic Twins continues that development and is even more of a Barnes-led recording. It is made in Athens apart from one track recorded in Norway, and gains success through the singles “So Begins Our Alabee” and “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)”, the latter supported by an MTV clip. Barnes records most of Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by himself while living between Norway and Athens, Georgia, and the album’s lyrics focus on suicide, depression and isolation. Later releases include Skeletal Lamping, False Priest, Paralytic Stalks and Lousy with Sylvianbriar. The band’s performances and more recent releases present a techno-pop glam style, with singles such as “Disconnect the Dots” reflecting that direction.

Lyrics and collaborations

The group’s lyrics change over time. Early songs often use humorous or personal scenarios, while the The Gay Parade period centres on short stories, fictional figures and imagined exchanges. Aldhils Arboretum brings a partial return to direct lyrical forms with pop structures, and Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? turns towards more personal writing. A recurring feature of the band is the contrast between gloomy themes and upbeat melodies. The group also records a cover of Yoko Ono’s “I Felt Like Smashing my Head Through a Clear Glass Window” on The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower.

The band also works closely within the Elephant 6 network and beyond. It performs as Marshmallow Coast’s backing band on record and on tour. Dottie Alexander releases “The You I Created” under the pseudonym My First Keyboard, with of Montreal as her backing band. Kevin Barnes’ brother David Barnes creates artwork for multiple albums.