“How do you identify?” asks Kevin Barnes in the opener ofInnocence Reaches, the latest record from US indie-pop weirdos Of Montreal, finally articulating a question that’s been at the core of his performance practice for the last 20 years.
As stories of diverse individuals are becoming a mainstay of the pop cultural conversation and larger audiences are seeking out non-cisgendered art, Barnes has grown increasingly optimistic about the timbre of the broader cultural discourse.
“I wanted to give the album a title that was representative of my state of mind, which is that I’ve become more optimistic and more positive within my view of the world and my view of my life,” he says. “Where we are as a band [is] wanting to create a very inclusive, very open-minded environment within our world, within what we do as artists.
“I think it’s exciting, actually, that the transgender conversation is happening on a more mainstream level. Everybody is having to engage and we’re not trying to sweep it under the rug as much as we have in the past, or not trying to ostracise people, alienating people who are transitioning into other genders or considering it. I would like for society to get to the point where nobody has a fixed sense of gender or gender identity, and we can all just play with it and keep it sorta fluid and have fun with it. It’s more interesting than people having this strict sense of what it is to be a man or what it is to be a woman.”
Barnes follows Judith Butler’s thinking on gender, seeing it as performative, constructed and malleable. Since the band’s inception in 1996, Barnes has toyed with gender politics, eschewing the masculinist rock star form for a queer aesthetic that looks – and feels – transformative.
“There’s always been a gender-bending aspect to [our show], especially with my performance … and this tour is going to be even more drag-heavy than the last,” he says. “A lot of my friends have been getting more and more into drag and we’re making it more part of our lives.
“It’s sort of inevitable that once you put on a pair of fishnet stockings and high-heel shoes or something, you’re gonna take on this new identity. It’s like how Superman must feel when he’s actually wearing his cape; probably feels very differently from when he’s wearing his suit. It’s healthy to get into a new state of mind, and of course, you’re still yourself. Even if you create a persona, it’s still based on who you are – you’re just bringing different aspects of your psyche to the surface.”
Exploration of gender identity comes more naturally to Barnes than to his bandmates, and the glamorous performance style hasn’t yet stretched to everyone with whom he shares the stage. “I’m really the only one that’s really into it. I mean, to this point – maybe once they see me spending so much time on my make-up and my fake eyelashes and all the fun I’m having dressing up, then maybe they’ll wanna join in too,” he laughs.
“That’s really the aim: people can be what they want and they don’t feel any pressure. There’s not this bullying that has to go on either side, you know, as far as like, ‘How dare you just identify as what you’re biologically born, that’s so boring.’ That never happens, but it shouldn’t happen, either. Everyone should just be free on whatever level, explore it or not explore it, and let other people do whatever they want as well.”
With its electro/disco core and glam rock sheen, Innocence Reaches embodies Barnes’ desire for inclusivity by rejecting the gloomier tones and psychological exorcisms of its predecessor, Aureate Gloom. Darkness still lingers at the periphery – as well it should, given songs like ‘It’s Different For Girls’, in which Barnes directly tackles the everyday injustices faced by women – but hope and optimism ultimately triumph.
“I don’t really think of it as a feminist statement or an anthem necessarily, just sort of an observation from my perspective. I have an 11-year-old daughter, so I can kinda see things through her eyes and see how she experiences life. And just being a sensitive human being, I can see how it is for women … There’s just a subtle but often not-so-subtle misogyny that exists and that women have to deal with every day; the fact that they can basically get harassed constantly on so many different levels and in ways that men never are.”
While it’s an unpleasant truth to explore, Barnes thinks of it more as a contribution to the broader conversation around gender and equality, rather than a militant call to arms.
“It’s just another thread in the fabric of it all,” he says. “I haven’t really gotten into public outreach or putting a lot of time into different programs that are set up to educate and enlighten people. So I guess on a level, maybe I’m just too lazy, but I’d like for [change] to just happen organically, and in a subtle, sort of unconscious way.”
“There’s a pretty strong kind of underground revolution that’s working its way up into the mainstream more and more. And that’s exciting.”
On their current tour, Of Montreal are bringing their newfound buoyancy to international audiences – and hopefully soon to Australia for the first time in six years – pulling together deep cuts and fan favourites in complex, seamless medleys.
“The songs are all connected together, like a collage,” says Barnes. “It’ll be very theatrical, and visually very immersive and psychedelic. We’re very excited about hitting the road with this stuff.”
Innocence Reachesby Of Montreal is out now through Polyvinyl / Create/Control.
