Article Contributed by Missing Piece Group
Published on 2026-06-13
American Aquarium have also announced an extensive tour, including shows in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver and the U.K.
On American Aquarium’s new album New Ways to Lose, frontman BJ Barham and his band of road warriors turn two decades of survival into a driving, deeply felt rock & roll statement — one built on resilience, reinvention, and the hard-earned clarity that only comes with time.
Produced once again by multi-time Grammy winner Shooter Jennings, the album was recorded in Los Angeles over a 10-day session that captured the band at their most immediate and alive. Much of the record was tracked live, with Jennings encouraging spontaneity and instinct over perfection, while a round of overdubs offered the opportunity to add three-part harmonies and horn arrangements to the songs.
The result is a muscular, cinematic record that embraces both sides of American Aquarium's identity: the bruised confessionals of a songwriter who's already spent decades sharpening his craft, and the full-throttle release of an anthemic, amplified rock & roll band.
For Barham — who formed the band in 2006 in Raleigh, North Carolina — the album isn't just a snapshot of a band at its peak. It's a personal turning point, too.
“All of my records are yearbooks,” he says. “Twenty years from now, I'll pull them off the shelf and remember exactly who I was when I wrote them.”
If earlier albums offered glimpses of a man in his 20s, making his way through a haze of uncertainty, heartache, and bad behavior, then New Ways to Lose finds Barham writing from a place of hard-won maturity. He's not just a songwriter anymore; he's a husband, father, and bandleader who's fully comfortable confronting the dark corners of the human experience.
Across these ten songs, he tackles themes like the downfall of small-town America, “Dollar General,” the yearning for true connection, “Out There In The Dark,” the socioeconomic wreckage of unconstitutional politics, “History Repeats Itself,” and even the devastation of losing a beloved pet, “Favorite Hello,” making room for tenderness and gratitude amidst the sonic stomp of his band.
The album's title comes from legendary NC State Wolfpack announcer Gary Hahn, whose on-air quips — “and NC State finds a new way to lose today” — became metaphors for both sports fandom and the music business.
“No matter what success you find, you're always looking up the ladder at what you don't have,” says Barham, who's hand-carved a fiercely independent career outside the traditional machinery of the industry.
Along the way, American Aquarium have earned an international audience, headlined bucket-list venues like the Ryman Auditorium, played Red Rocks, and even launched their own festival, Roadtrip to Raleigh, all without a major label, mainstream radio support, or the kind of buzz-worthy hype reserved for music industry darlings.
“It's about trying so hard to win at something,” he adds, “but always finding a way to lose at it.”
But in true American Aquarium fashion, the phrase is delivered with a grin and a shrug rather than defeat. After all, this is a band that built their own table when nobody offered them a seat.
That spirit runs through every corner of New Ways to Lose. Released independently through Barham's own Losing Side Records, the album doubles down on the freedom that American Aquarium have spent two decades fighting for. They own their publishing. They answer to nobody. And while the industry continues chasing trends, American Aquarium are still doing things their own way — including dropping the album just two weeks after announcing it.
“We take our hits and we get back up,” Barham says, “and we do what we do. There are three things you can count on: death, taxes, and American Aquarium showing up to your town once a year to play a rock & roll show.”
Twenty years and twenty albums in, American Aquarium aren’t chasing validation anymore. They've built something bigger: a career on their own terms, a loyal community, and a catalog that continues to evolve without compromise. New Ways to Lose doesn't sound like a band slowing down. It sounds like winning — like musicians who know exactly who they are.
American Aquarium will tour extensively in support of New Ways to Lose, with a coast-to-coast U.S. tour that includes a return to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. They’ll also head to the U.K. in November and play the Take Root Festival in the Netherlands.
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 — Raccoon 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
