Let It Hiss isn’t just a collection of ten vital new songs; it’s a document of transformation. The result of a pivotal shift: a pause for reflection, a reckoning with vulnerability, and a reconnection between two brothers – Brad and Andrew Barr – who’ve spent their entire lives making music side by side. Let it Hiss was produced by Brad and Andrew, working primarily as a duo out of their Montreal studio with mix engineer Jon Low (The National, Taylor Swift, Bon Iver).
Let It Hiss showcases two esteemed musicians and composers at the height of their powers, both known for their commands over their instruments, and coaxing otherworldly sounds out of them. It also revels in a joyous abandon, as heard on ‘Run Right Into It’ (featuring Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell) and ‘She Doesn’t Sleep With the Covers On’. It also revisits the kinds of intimate, hushed songs on which the Barrs’ brand was built: ‘English Harbour’ is a folk hymn illuminated by harmonies by Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and ‘Moonbeam’ is a string-swept soul serenade with a Francophone guest vocal from Quebecois art-pop shapeshifter Klô Pelgag. But all the freewheeling musical exploration and emotional upheaval that plays out over the course of Let It Hiss still won’t prepare for the album’s closer ‘Upsetter’, a blast of sweat-soaked, punk-powered rock capped by a lobotomizing guitar solo. And while the album was self-produced, they also called on trusted friends from their wider musical community to lend voices, instruments, and textures when the songs called for it – collaborations that felt less like features and more like natural extensions of the music. In this way, Let it Hiss stands as both their most personal and most collaborative record to date.
Following widespread acclaim for their new album Let It Hiss, out now via Secret City Records, The Barr Brothers today announce news of a 4-date Spring headline UK tour including a performance at London’s Islington Assembly Hall. Ahead of this the band will swing by the capital for a one-off performance at Rough Trade East next week as well as joining Mumford & Sons on their European Arena tour. Upcoming UK live info below:
Tuesday 11th November – London – Rough Trade East
Tuesday 28th April 2026 – London – Islington Assembly Hall
Wednesday 29th April 2026 – Manchester – The Deaf Institute
Thursday 30th April 2026 – Glasgow – Stereo
Friday 1st May 2026 – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
Artists’ website: https://www.thebarrbrothers.com/
‘Moonbeam’ – acoustic version:
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