American Aquarium frontman BJ Barham has spent the last two decades turning his life into one of the most brutally honest catalogs in music—but this new record might be the first where he’s no longer just telling his own story.
The frontman of the Raleigh, NC based alt-country outfit has never been one to hide behind fictional characters or vague, made-up stories in his songwriting. For two decades now, the band’s catalog has served as a diary for Barham, documenting each stage in his life and the sentiments he’s carried with an honesty and attention to detail that has made him one of the most important songwriters in country-adjacent music. Pick any record, and you’ll get a real snapshot of what Barham was experiencing at that point in time. And it won’t take you long to realize that he is no stranger to hardship, even if some of it has been self-induced.
Released between 2006 and 2010, the first four American Aquarium records chronicled a young songwriter attempting to navigate early adulthood and the growing pains that come with it, while simultaneously trying to build a music career from the ground up. It was during this time that he established the relentless work ethic and fierce independence the band embodies today, but as they slowly gained traction, Barham’s increasingly serious struggles with addiction threatened to derail everything he had spent years building.
That all came to a head on the seminal Burn.Flicker.Die., the band’s 2012 record that was written as Barham began confronting the reality that alcohol and drugs had become detrimental to both his personal life and the ambitions of his band. It was intended to be a final shot before calling it quits, but instead became the album that changed everything, opening doors that would ultimately save the band. One could even argue it probably saved Barham’s life, too.
Over the next couple of years, Barham got sober and married, and in the same vein as Jason Isbell’s Southeastern, released a sobriety record titled Wolves that marked a major change in his perspective. The records that followed documented Barham lamenting aspects of his past, learning how to build a life without addiction, and becoming a father. Then came 2022’s Chicamacomico, where he processed the loss of his mother and wrestled with grief, followed by 2024’s The Fear of Standing Still, perhaps his most introspective record to date, as he reflected on purpose, growth, his perception of the world, and his role in it as a musician.
And that brings us to today’s release of American Aquarium’s 11th studio album, New Ways To Lose – a record that I truly believe could be Barham’s best work yet. During a ten day span back in November of 2025, Barham and company hunkered down with producer Shooter Jennings at the iconic Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles, CA, and they came out with a ten-track record that pushes the band’s sonic boundaries and marks yet another emphatic shift in songwriting perspective.
Nearly 12 years sober, family is Barham’s top priority now, and the music has continued on a steady trajectory. Now that he’s achieved a lot of what he has set out to do, and his priorities have shifted in the process, Barham is no longer caught up in his own personal shortcomings and what the world has done to him. There is no need for him to write an addiction record, a sobriety record, a grief record, etc.
Instead, New Ways To Lose is clearly written by someone who has endured all these chapters and grown wiser as a result. It’s as if Barham has reached a point where survival is no longer occupying his efforts, and he can now focus on the people and community around him as opposed to his own personal struggles.
If you thought this meant the album was going to be full of happy and triumphant songs, then you better think again. Barham still feels like an underdog, and as the title aptly suggests, continues to find new ways to lose, even if the losses no longer revolve around addiction, personal relationships, and his music career. Nevertheless, these songs generally carry an undercurrent of optimism that is hard to find elsewhere in the American Aquarium canon.
Employing a horn section and utilizing piano and organ more than ever, New Ways To Lose finds American Aquarium at its peak sonically, and while I’d argue that Barham has managed to stay at his peak lyrically for the better part of the best two decades, he certainly continues to prove why he is one of the most impressive lyricists in the business. I could ramble on all day about this record, but the proof is in the music itself, and I’ve kept you from listening for long enough.
Check out the tracklist for American Aquarium’s 11th album New Ways To Lose below, along with a brief description of each track. There’s been a lot of great albums released so far this year, but this one is up there with the best of them.
New Ways To Lose
“Dollar General”
New Ways To Lose starts out hot with a couple of hard-driving roots rock tunes. Co-written with Collin Nash, “Dollar General” is a populist portrait of small town America that uses shuttering Dollar Generals as a metaphor for how desperate conditions have become.
“Can’t Into Could”
“Can’t Into Could,” on the other hand, is a more positive, semi-autobiographical track that cleverly utilizes idioms to bring to life Barham’s resilient mentality and rock and roll attitude.
“4×60”
A nostalgic tune in which Barham calls upon a memory with his family to contrast the plight of his community detailed in the first track with an idyllic notion of the small town life he grew up with.
“Twin Flames”
The upbeat reprieve from typical American Aquarium-induced sadness continues with an endearing love song in which the horns and pedal steel compliment one another in a magnificent way.
“Out There In The Dark”
When a rock and roll band starts a song with a piano, you know things are about to get real. And if there’s anyone that could possibly be better than Barham at evoking emotion through their lyricism, it’s Lori McKenna, with whom he co-wrote this one. Together, they bring us back to earth with a compassionate reminder that suffering is universal and unavoidable. And for people like him, the darkness is all too familiar. But there’s strength in the numbers, and we’re all in this together.
“History Repeats Itself”
The anthemic sixth track is a catchy call to action, urging the listener to resist complacency in the social and physical decline of small town America.
“Favorite Hello”
If you are a dog person, you might just want to skip this one. “Favorite Hello” is a heartbreaking tribute to a beloved dog that explores grief through everyday details and absence, culminating in the devastating inversion of the familiar phrase “my favorite hello is my hardest goodbye.”
“Whatever Helps You Sleep At Night”
Sonically, this is American Aquarium at its grooviest. A bitter breakup song that examines self-justification and regret, this one using storms and weather as metaphors for destruction, renewal, and necessary change.
“Just Like You”
This is the most poignant track on the entire album. Harkening back to the prominent theme of grief on Chicamacomico following his mother’s passing, Barham grapples with the notion that his daughter, who has become a spitting image of his mother, will only know her through photos of them together from her infancy and from visits to the gravesite.
“Bad Habits”
To bring an incredible project home, “Bad Habits” is a reflective self-portrait of an experienced road musician who acknowledges his flaws while accepting the life that shaped him. And this is exactly where BJ Barham sits today.
If you like what you’ve heard from American Aquarium on their latest album New Ways To Lose, then you’re in luck, because there are 60 opportunities to catch them live and hear these songs in person over the next few months.
And trust me, few bands put on a show quite like American Aquarium does, Check out the tour dates below.
American Aquarium 2026 Tour Dates
June 26 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry House
July 3 – Urbana, IL – Rose Bowl Tavern
July 4 – Berwyn, IL – Fitzgerald’s Night Club – American Music Festival
July 5 – Cincinnati, OH – Ludlow Garage
August 13 – Floyd, VA – Warren G. Lineberry Park
August 14 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
August 15 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
August 16 – Washington DC – Union Stage
August 17 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
August 18 – New York, NY – Racket
August 19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe & Music Hall
August 20 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
August 21 – Des Moines, IA – xBk
August 22 – Lincoln, NE – Memorial Stadium
September 3 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
September 4 – Wilmington, NC – Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre
September 5 – Snowshoe, WV – Snowshoe Mountain Resort – Ballhooter Festival
September 6 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
September 7 – Philadelphia, PA – World Stage
September 8 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
September 9 – Detroit, MI – Magic Bag
September 10 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
September 11 – Madison, IN – Unbroken Circle Festival
September 12 – St. Louis, MO – The Old Rockhouse
September 13 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
September 15 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rhythm Room
September 16 – West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy Theatre
September 17 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
September 18 – Bend, OR – Silver Moon Brewery
September 19 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
September 20 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
September 22 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Boise
September 23 – Bozeman, MT – Tune Up Bar
September 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell
September 25 – Denver, CO – Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox
September 26 – Lubbock, TX – Cactus Theater
September 27 – Dallas, TX – Longhorn Ballroom
September 28 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall – 1884 Lounge
October 22 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads – The Saloon
October 23 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
October 24 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre
October 25 – Saint Paul, MN – Turf Club
October 26 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
October 27 – Davenport, IA – Racoon Motel
October 29 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation
October 30 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe
October 31 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Indy
November 1 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
November 7 – Groningen, NL – Take Root Festival
November 8 – Hassocks, UK – Mid Sussex Music Hall
November 9 – London, UK – The 100 Club
November 10 – Cambridge, UK – Mash
November 11 – Manchester, UK – New Century
November 12 – Bristol, UK – Thekla
November 28 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West
November 29 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
November 30 – Orlando, FL – The Social
December 1 – Mobile, AL – The Merry Widow
December 2 – New Orleans, LA – Chickie Wah Wah
December 3 – Houston, TX – The Heights Theater
