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Aethermead, stylized in all lowercase, is the twentieth studio album of American indie rock band of Montreal. It was released on June 5, 2026, through Polyvinyl Records.

Background

Before writing the album, singer Kevin Barnes split from his then-fiancée Christina Schneider after eight years and a move to Vermont. After the break-up, Barnes moved to Brooklyn, where he was then inspired to create the new album.[2] The album was announced on April 2, 2026, along with the release of a new single, “When”.[3] A month prior to the album’s announcement, the band announced a tour with openers CorMae and Sloppy Jane.[4] The album’s title is based off the Nethermead area in Prospect Park.[5] On May 5, the second single from the album released, “Already Dreaming”. The music video that released alongside it was directed by Beatrice Barnes, the daughter of Kevin Barnes.[6] The band’s third single released June 2, a song titled “Take the Form”.[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kevin Barnes.

aethermead track listing[8]
No.TitleLength
1.“Already Dreaming”3:08
2.“Wanting on Air”3:02
3.“Listen to Music and Cry”2:51
4.“My Zhe Zhe”2:23
5.“Take the Form”3:05
6.“When”2:32
7.“Hack it Up”3:22
8.“Lacan in the Family”2:54
9.“Having a Moment”3:32
10.“From the Font of You”4:50
11.“To Nothing’s Reward”2:32
12.“Now We Cringe at the Thought”3:24
13.“Dismissal Mosaics”3:43
Total length:41:18

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album’s Bandcamp page.[1]

of Montreal

Additional contributors

  • Drew Vandenberg – engineering
  • Mike Nolte – mastering
  • David Barnes – artwork
  • Ryan Miller – layout

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
Beats Per Minute76/100[9]
Far Out4/5[10]
PasteB+[11]
Pitchfork6.1/10[12]

The album released to mixed-to-positive reviews. Paste magazine praised the album’s vulnerability and the “band-centric” focus.[14] Far Out magazine also praised the lyricism on the album, Reuben Cross writing “(…) they’ve pared back the loquaciousness and gone for a more direct approach that sparingly flaunts how literary they can be.”[15]

Pitchfork’s Ethan Beck wrote that the music is “drab” and “lacks the personality and vision of their best work” and rated the album a 6.1/10.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b “aethermead, by of Montreal”. Bandcamp. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  2. ^ Redfern, Mark. “of Montreal Shares Video for New Song “Already Dreaming” Directed by Kevin Barnes’ Daughter”. Under the Radar Magazine. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  3. ^ “of Montreal Announce New Album ‘aethermead’: Hear “When”“. stereogum.com. 2026-04-02. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  4. ^ Pearis, Bill. “of Montreal announce North American tour with Sloppy Jane & CorMae”. BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  5. ^ Coplan, Chris (2026-04-02). “of Montreal Announce New Album aethermead, Share Forceful Lead Single “When”“. Consequence. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  6. ^ ““Already Dreaming” From of Montreal Augurs An End And A New Beginning”. Wildfire Music + News. 2026-05-06. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  7. ^ “Spotify – Web Player”. Spotify. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  8. ^ “Spotify”. open.spotify.com. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
  9. ^ Zivkovic, Ljubinko (June 8, 2026). “Album Review: Of Montreal – aethermead”. Beats Per Minute.
  10. ^ Cross, Reuben (June 4, 2026). “Of Montreal – ‘Aethermead’ album review”. faroutmagazine.co.uk.
  11. ^ “of Montreal, ‘aethermead’ Album Review”.
  12. ^ Beck, Ethan. “Of Montreal: Aethermead”. Pitchfork.
  13. ^ “aethermead by Of Montreal” – via Metacritic.
  14. ^ Reed, Ryan (June 6, 2026). “of Montreal, ‘aethermead’ Album Review”. Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  15. ^ Cross, Reuben (2026-06-04). “Of Montreal – ‘Aethermead’ album review”. faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  16. ^ Beck, Ethan. “Of Montreal: Aethermead”. Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-06-14.