Barenaked Ladies release new album ‘Detour de Force’; New music video for “Good Life” out today

NEW STUDIO ALBUM DETOUR DE FORCE OUT TODAY

STREAM / PURCHASE HERE

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE “GOOD LIFE” HERE

[Download album artwork here]

“Colorful”

Rolling Stone

“Crisp with the production of the city studio and enlightened with the serenity of the lake cabin…also classically BNL, playful in its structure and crowd-ready hooks while thematically addressing the human condition with acuity.”

Consequence of Sound

“Known for their lighthearted, sometimes improvised lyrics and eclectic, evolving sound, the group manages to retain this distinct style on the newest album while staying just serious enough and relevant to the times.”

RIFF Magazine

(July 16, 2021 – Toronto, ON) Today, multi-platinum band Barenaked Ladies release their 16th studio album Detour de Force. The eagerly awaited album was produced by JUNO and Grammy award winner Eric Ratz and Mark Howard, and features 14 newly minted tracks including the hopeful and infectious new single “Good Life”. Detour de Force is available on CD and digital formats, along with a limited edition blue double vinyl featuring a bonus track. Stream / purchase Detour de Force HERE. Due to manufacturing and shipping delays related to COVID-19, the in-store date for vinyl for the US has been delayed until August 20th.

The music video for “Good Life” also premieres today. Directed by Edward Pond, the video features the band playfully navigating their beloved hometown of Toronto. “This song is the story of the band and how I feel about the band,” says Ed Robertson. “I’m not living the dream, I’m re-living the dream. I lived the dream twenty years ago; the real dream is that I’m still doing this.” Watch the official video for “Good Life” HERE.

Ed Robertson will be featured on an episode of STROMBO today at 5:00pm ET on Apple Music and the band will be participating in the Twitter Listening Party hosted by Tim Burgess on Monday, July 19th at 2:00pm ET.

Detour de Force is BNL’s most broad-reaching and diverse album to date — fusing the distinct writing voices of Robertson, Hearn and Creeggan into a cohesive work. “Our band is very diverse in what we do,” says Robertson, “and on this record I really enjoyed the exploration. This record is a journey. Taking off one song would tip it in a way we didn’t feel was representative of the record we made. We wanted everything that’s here to be part of the record.”

Adds Tyler Stewart, “This is some of our strongest material in 30 years, easily. I think it stands up there with our best albums. It hangs with ‘Gordon,’ or it hangs with ‘Maroon.’”

BNL wasn’t dormant as the world shut down but the pause brought a fresh perspective to where the band wanted Detour de Force to go. “The pandemic really affected the album in an interesting way,” recalls Jim Creeggan, who penned a pair of the Detour de Force songs. “I was getting calls from friends to do remote-based stuff, people asking each other to add something to those projects. So we started reaching out and bringing other things into what we were doing.”

“We took several detours de force,” acknowledges Kevin Hearn, “but I think what you get is a beautiful hybrid of a live off-the-floor band, all the way to full-on production numbers.’ It’s kind of reminiscent of ‘Stunt’.”

“There was a lot that was amazing about recording at the cottage,” recalls Robertson, who wrote songs on his own and with friends Kevin Griffin, Craig Wiseman, Danny Michel and Donovan Woods. “The focus was great. The vibe was great. The hang was great. It was super positive for the band dynamic.”  “It’s a surreal experience to write with someone whose songs you’ve known and admired for what feels like your whole life,” says Donovan Woods about writing with Robertson. “(Ed) and I sat for hours talking about ideas. We ended up with two songs I love so much (“Man Made Lake” and “God Forbid”) that I had to record them, too. Hearing BNL’s versions was another surreal moment. It’s an honor to have a small credit in such an amazing catalogue.”

Detour de Force Tracklist

01. Flip

02. Good Life

03. New Disaster

04. Big Back Yard

05. Live Well

06. Flat Earth

07. Here Together

08. Roll Out

09. Bylaw

10. God Forbid

11. Paul Chambers

12. The National Park

13. Man Made Lake

14. Internal Dynamo

15. Way Of The Heart (Vinyl-only exclusive bonus track)

Click here for the full Detour de Force Bio.

Coming up, Barenaked Ladies are getting back to work, with a run of one-off shows, starting with their first show in seventeen months next weekend on July 24th at the New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Whitehall Station, New Jersey. BNL will tour the UK in March and will bring the Last Summer on Earth tour to North America in June of 2022.  Dates listed below.

Barenaked Ladies are also proud to announce a commitment to REVERB’s Music Climate Revolution. Joining other touring artists, music industry leaders, and fans, they are making an ongoing and increasing commitment to reduce their carbon footprint, support carbon-fighting projects, and use their voice to demand climate action. Barenaked Ladies have long been an active participant in the environmental movement in music, as the first artist to work with REVERB, in 2004. More at musicclimaterevolution.org.

Over the course of 33 years, the beloved quartet has sold 15 million records worldwide and built up an arsenal of hits such as “If I Had $1,000,000”, “One Week”, “Pinch Me” and “The Big Bang Theory Theme.” Widely acknowledged as one of the best live acts on the planet, BNL has hosted a cruise, had its own ice cream flavor, amassed eight JUNO Awards, and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018. As Ed Robertson, Jim Creeggan, Tyler Stewart and Kevin Hearn put it on ‘Good Life,’ “Wasn’t easy but it turned out alright/Wouldn’t trade it for another…You don’t wanna miss this mutha.”

For more information on all things Barenaked Ladies, visit their website and stay connected via social media.

DOWNLOAD HI-RES IMAGE – Photo credit: Matt Barnes

Photographed L-R: Kevin Hearn (keyboards), Ed Robertson (vocals/guitar), Tyler Stewart (drums), Jim Creeggan (bass)

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2022 TOUR DATES:

Fri, Jun-03 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Sat, Jun-04 – Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre

Sun, Jun-05 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre

Tue, Jun-07 – Irving, TX – Toyota Music Factory

Thu, Jun-09 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre

Fri, Jun-10 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre

Sat, Jun-11 – Paso Robles, CA – Vino Robles

Thu, Jun-16 – Redmond, WA – Marymoor Park Amphitheatre

Fri, Jun-17 – Troutdale, OR – Edgefield

Sat, Jun-18 – Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest Resort & Casino

Tue, Jun-21 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks

Fri, Jun-24 – Council Bluffs, IA – Stir Cove @ Harrah’s Council Bluff’s

Sat, Jun-25 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino

Mon, Jun-27 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre

Wed, Jun-29 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theater

Fri, Jul-01 – Indianapolis, IN – Lawn at White River State Park

Sat, Jul-02 – Cleveland, OH – Jacob’s Pavilion at Nautica

Sun, Jul-03 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre

Tue, Jul-05 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark – Summer Series

Wed, Jul-06 – New York, NY – Central Park Summerstage

Fri, Jul-08 – Gilford, NH – Bank Of New Hampshire Pavilion

Sat, Jul-09 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena

Sun, Jul-10 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion

Tue, Jul-12 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met

Wed, Jul-13 – Baltimore, MD – MECU Pavilion

Fri, Jul-15 – Charleston, SC – North Charleston Coliseum

Sat, Jul-16 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheatre

Sun, Jul-17 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap

Wed, Jul-20 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Amphitheatre

Thu, Jul-21 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage