Of Montreal Has Plans for New Singles, Album of Outtakes

In a recent interview, Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes revealed the band is going in a new sonic direction in the upcoming months. Discussing the follow-up to Paralytic Stalks, Barnes said he plans to take more of a pop approach. Stalks, according to Barnes, was not a singles album.

In talking about Of Montreal’s last release, Barnes said: “I wasn't thinking about singles or radio play or anything like that. But I'm still a huge fan of pop music. I love the format and the restriction to try to do as much as you can within a three-minute space. But at the same time I don't feel limited. It can still be what you want. (The Beatles') 'Strawberry Fields' was a single; you can't dance to it, but it's a wonderful piece of art."

Two new tracks are close to complete. Called “Middle Child” and “The Triumph of Disintegration,” Of Montreal’s singles will stick with universal themes, as opposed to the intimate and personal lyrics of Stalks. The fall will see Of Montreal start putting out these tracks, likely followed by others, and by spring, the non-album tracks may be put together as a larger release.

A series of pop singles are not Of Montreal’s only upcoming project. Barnes explained that the group is putting together an album of outtakes from Stalks and their three previous releases, 2010's False Priest, 2008's Skeletal Lamping, and 2007's Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?. Regarding an album of outtakes, he said: “It's mainly for people who are way into the band, definitely not something for mass consumption, but there's a lot of interesting and challenging songs that those people will enjoy.”