The psychedelic indie ensemble, led by the ever enigmatic Kevin Barnes, have revealed that they will be performing a one-off London show in support of upcoming album Lousy With Sylvianbriar.

It won’t just be any old show though. The show will be entirely acoustic, meaning a slightly stripped down version of the manic events that would normally make up a Kevin Barnes gig. Material from Lousy With Sylvianbriar will be showcased, which is supposedly going to be a throwback to some of the earlier music which inspired Barnes, with artists such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Big Star and more the influence behind it all.

Ahead of writing for the album, Barnes travelled to San Francisco, where we spent days soaking up the craziness that inhabits the city and putting it into his writing, assuring fans that this will be just as nutty a record as we have come to expect. Having completed his research, he re-grouped back in Athens, Georgia and got down to recording at his home studio. Deliberately abstaining from any use of computer technology, Barnes and his assorted collection of musicians (Rebecca Cash on vocals, Clayton Rychlik on drums and vocals, Jojo Glidewell on keys, Bob Parins on pedal steel and bass, Bennet Lewis on guitars and mandolin and Barnes himself on guitars, bass and vocals) recorded the music all in the same room, and had finished within three weeks. Speaking about the recording process, Barnes said:

“I knew I wanted the process to be more in line with the way people used to make albums in the late 60s and early 70s. I wanted to work fast and maintain a high level of spontaneity and immediacy. I wanted the songs to be more lyrics driven, and for the instrumental arrangements to be understated and uncluttered”.

Judging by Fugitive Air, Barnes gets his wishes. The influence of Dylan, Young and co is clear to see, with a slight psychedelic groove joining the country twinged country goodness that 60s and 70s era music is famed for. She Ain’t Speakin’ Now goes through the same routine, immediately becoming one of the highlights of an already industrious career by of Montreal. By the sound of the first two tracks to be revealed, Lousy With Sylvianbriar promises to be a record not to miss out on.

You can listen to both Fugitive Air and She Ain’t Speakin’ Now below. Lousy With Sylvianbriar is released worldwide on October 8th on Polyvinyl Records.

Kevin Barnes plays London Birthdays on 25th of September. Tickets are at the bargain price of £12.50, so you have no excuse not to go.