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Jun 29, 2016 By Christopher Roberts of Montreal

Kevin Barnes and of Montreal are releasing a new album, Innocence Reaches, on August 12 via Polyvinyl. The band previously shared the album’s first single, the fantastically produced pop song “it’s different for girls.” Now the song has an equally great video directed by Stephen Winter. Barnes, dressed partly in drag, leads a big dance party and competition. Basically, there’s lots of great dancing. We dare you not to grin a little while watching it.

Barnes commented on the video in a press release: “The ‘girls’ I’m singing about in the song aren’t exclusively of the biologically female variety. It’s more of a paean to all the wild-hearted counter culture groups of our species. In a way I feel like most of us transition back and forth, psychologically, between female and male and that sexual identity is a fluid concept.”

Director Stephen Winter issued a lengthy statement about the video: “May 2016 we conceived the video for the new song ‘it’s different for girls’ by of Montreal as a tribute to Ball Culture and phenomenal femaleness. To make all feel welcome, instead of competition dancers we brought in ‘Dance Enthusiasts’ for a celebration of ‘being alive, being fabulous, being yourself.’ Instead of ‘Judge’s Fans’ with scores, we provided upbeat affirmations like ‘Werk’ or ‘Success.’ It’s not about defeating others; it’s Bring Your True Self Forward and have a blast!

“Success, indeed! Watching the video, you feel the joy and thrill in happy faces and prancing bodies. And you see Ezra Azrieli Holzman, a gender expansive 9-year-old from Brooklyn, tear up the dance floor, then glow in reward from their community. This video shows a special world where girls, LGBTQ people, and allies celebrate their affirmation, cause that space is rare and necessary. And of Montreal’s brilliant Kevin Barnes swirls throughout. This love is here to stay.

“Of course, none of us could have known in May, how brutally relevant the message of this video would be today in June.

“Today we stand in a new era of LGBTQ affirmation AND affirmation of females and their unique struggle. Homophobia is on its way to being done. Love is going to win. It won’t be an easy road, but we will see this achieved in our lifetime.

“We need ‘it’s different for girls’ now. We need Kevin Barnes’ remarkable embrace of Female Joy, Queer Joy and Non-Judgment - now. We are in this together. We can still have fun and heal. Right here, right now; this little gender non-conforming kid is dancing their legs off and feeling total acceptance. How do you talk to your kids about what’s going on in the world right now? Show them this video - and talk!

“Being gay or a gender non-conformist can be hard but sometimes your biggest obstacle is your own fears. The video for ‘it’s different for girls’ ultimately says, ‘I love being gay,’ ‘I love being a girl,’ and ‘I love being who I am.’ Statements you never hear or say out loud enough.”

Innocence Reaches is of Montreal’s 14th full-length. The album was partially recorded in Paris, where Barnes lived at a friend’s home studio for two weeks. The album is the follow-up to 2015’s Aureate Gloom. Also feel free to read our 2015 interview with Kevin Barnes on Aureate Gloom and why he doesn’t get Taylor Swift, among other things.

of Montreal Tour Dates:

9/2 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
9/3 - Charleston, SC @ Charleston Pour House
9/4 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
9/5 - Norfolk, VA @ Work Release
9/6 - Charlottesville, VA @ The Jefferson
9/7 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
9/8 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
9/9 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
9/10 - Boston, MA @ Paradise
9/11 - New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall
9/12 - Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street Ballroom
9/13 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
9/14 - Ithaca, NY @ The Haunt
9/15 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
9/16 - Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre
9/17 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
9/18 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Bells Eccentric Café
9/19 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
9/20 - Madison, WI @ The Majestic Theatre
9/21 - Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater
9/22 - St. Louis, MO @ Ready Room
9/23 - Memphis, TN @ The Hi Tone Café
9/24 - Chattanooga, TN @ Revelry Room
10/12 - Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
10/13 - Louisville, KY @ Headliner’s Music Hall
10/14 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
10/15 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar Cultural Center
10/16 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
10/17 - Denver, CO @ The Bluebird
10/18 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/19 - Boise, ID @ El Korah Shrine
10/20 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
10/21 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
10/22 - Arcata, CA @ The Kate Buchanan Room at Humbolt State University
10/23 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
10/24 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent
10/25 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent
10/26 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
10/27 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
10/28 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
10/29 - Houston, TX @ Walter’s Downtown
10/30 - Mobile, AL @ Soul Kitchen
10/31 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West