Brad Barr Talks New Barr Brothers LP ‘Let It Hiss,’ Finding Sobriety, Collaborating with Marco Benevento, Jim James, Klô Pelgag and Others (INTERVIEW)

It’s taken nearly eight years, but The Barr Brothers have finally returned with their latest studio recording, Let It Hiss. Despite the gap, this time has hardly been idle for Brad and Andrew Barr as they have been playing with their other long-running and prolific band The Slip, lending their instrumental talents to a range of indie rock and pop acts, and releasing solo albums. They have seen their families grow and relationships change, with other musical opportunities taking precedent. Yet, their chemistry as The Barr Brothers is a special thing and one that both Brad and Andrew seem to always gravitate back to. 

Let It Hiss comes from a place of mental and musical clarity. From their studio in their home base of Montreal, the band crafted a collection of songs that came from years of saving up lyrics and ideas. The result is an album that feels vibrant and as eclectic as ever, with the band switching from sprawling folk-rock to funky indie rock and soulful art-pop throughout. The lyrics are honest and thoughtful, and the instrumentals are layered and sonically rich. The album also features collaborations from artists like My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Marco Benevento, and Canadian acts like Land of Talk and Klô Pelgag, among others. In other words, it feels like an amalgamation of their lives in music, traversing a variety of projects and genres.   

With Let It Hiss finally out and a headlining tour in early 2026, The Barr Brothers are entering a new creative era. Recently, we spoke with Brad Barr about the process and collaborations behind Let It Hiss, his journey to sobriety, what the future looks like for The Barr Brothers, and more. 

You’ve said that this album is a document of transformation. Can you shed some light on some of the transformations that have happened since your last album (2017’s Queens of the Breakers)? 

Well, one thing — our families have grown. More children, more navigating new schedules, sinking into family life in Montreal, which takes quite a bit of adapting when you’ve come from a life of touring and playing music whenever you want.

A big one for me was getting sober. That, in my mind, was really responsible for what I consider the success of the songwriting and production on this record. It was a necessity for me to be able to write these songs and release the record we wanted to. I’d been stuck for a while, and I finally realized that my reliance on drugs and alcohol was this weight that was dragging me down. Once that weight was gone, it was like jet fuel — the songs, the recording, everything just started to come together. Friends showed up to support us. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure they’d still be there; I’d been so tuned out. That whole process led to a kind of rebirth for Andrew and me, too…seeing someone you’ve known for over 40+ years in a new light.

How did you know it was time to get sober, and how did you go about reconciling with your brother? 

Great question. You know when you know. It didn’t happen overnight; it took about four years of trying. That, in itself, was a big indicator — the fact that it was so difficult until I finally surrendered.

The relationships in my life had also become really narrow, especially the most important ones. My wife, Brigitte Henry, who does a lot of our album covers and video work for us, and Andrew, those relationships had become really one-dimensional. Humans have these huge spectrums of experience and gifts to share, and for me, everything had become so narrow. My experience with life in general had become narrow. I recognized I wasn’t presenting the best version of myself to the world, and thankfully, that’s something that really matters to me. What I bring to every interaction should be the best version of myself.

With Andrew, once he saw that I was working on myself, it didn’t take a lot of pleading or convincing to get him on my side. He’s my biggest champion. As soon as he saw the effort, he was there. I did make formal amends to him, and it was a beautiful moment. We’ve really grown since then.

What was the writing process like for Let It Hiss, and was any part of it different than how you have approached things in the past? 

What I was really trying to do with these songs was be honest. If I were going to make a statement to the world, it needed to be honest, and it’s very hard to be honest when you’re in the throes of addiction. 

As far back as 2017 or 2018, these songs had existed, but they were all in fragments, sort of like a messy room. There were bits and pieces of things that had potential, but I didn’t know how to nurture them. Most of them really crystallized within six months of getting sober. That’s when I could finally see them for what they wanted to be. I could pick them up, care for them, work with them, and put myself into them with the kind of honesty I’d been longing for.

That was definitely different from our other records. I’m proud of those, too, but I can’t say I was as willing back then to put as much of my personal experience into them. They were a little more curated. This one let me explore the noise.

Musically, this album feels super collaborative. What did each musician bring to the table? 

On past records, we generally went into the studio with a full band, so in that sense, those albums were collaborative in a more traditional way. This one was different. Most of the time, it was just me and Andrew working together and then inviting friends in. This time, we really wanted to share the music with people. We could actually hear specific people on specific songs. We imagined them there and got excited about sharing the tracks with them and hearing their voices on them. Collaboration this time was more intentional, like, “this person would be great for this” or “that person for that.” We’d send them the track with a rough idea, and in most cases, they came back with something incredible.

Jocie Adams and Jim James both came back with amazing contributions. Jocie sent like 20 tracks, every one of them so calculated and beautifully placed. Jim James delivered a single track, but it was so vulnerable. I still get choked up thinking about it — hearing his voice on its own, because his voice just carries so much. Stuart Bogie added this gorgeous sax solo. Marco Benevento completely unleashed — like the walls were covered with keyboards, every sound imaginable layered in there, and it just brought this electric, untamed energy to the songs. Klô Pelgag transcribed a whole verse for “Moonbeam” in this really poetic way. Not many people could do what she did — translating English to French and delivering it in her own voice. It was stunning. She’s a master of the French language and added such beauty. Ariel Engle brought this cool, soulful energy without ever being genre-specific. She has this way of bringing a soul vibe that’s completely her own. 

I’m probably leaving people out, but everyone we called upon lent their touch, and it made me incredibly grateful to have such talented, wonderful friends in the music community to help us bring this record to life.

In terms of the sound of the album, were there any unexpected sources of musical inspiration? 

I would say that Andrew’s ability to record his own drums and really get the sound he wanted was one of the biggest revelations. We’d never really trusted ourselves as engineers before, but this time we did. Not for any particular reason other than maybe we finally knew how to make ourselves sound the way we wanted. Andrew really dialed in these drum sounds that maybe not everyone will consciously notice, but I believe that’s what draws people into the songs. It’s a huge part of what makes this record so compelling.

We also have this great quarter-inch tape machine that we acquired a couple of years ago, and whenever we run things through it, it just makes everything sound better. When you run sound through tape, there’s always a bit of hiss, which actually became the inspiration for the album title. At one point, we asked ourselves, “Is there too much hiss?” and ultimately decided, “Let it hiss.” It’s a very simple 1970s quarter-inch tape machine. We’d record digitally, then run whatever we wanted into the tape machine and back out into digital. That technique isn’t anything new, but for us to do it was really inspiring and gave us a lot of creative push.

Beyond that, we just felt really liberated on this record. We didn’t feel like we were curating anyone’s experience of The Barr Brothers. We were just being ourselves. And that was freeing. It might be a little jarring for some people who know our past work, but I want people to understand that this is really us, enjoying what we do and being delighted by it at every turn.

Do you think there is a theme or central message that links all of these songs? 

There’s such a risk of saying something trite here…but it’s actually very clear to me. These songs are about the human experience, about realizing that I’ve been around for a while, and I’ve developed certain patterns of thinking and behaving, and not all of them are useful to me anymore. Some things that served me well 10 or 15 years ago have kind of worn out their welcome.

If I’m going to move forward into whatever the next phase of life has to offer, I want to do it with more clarity and self-awareness. I want to appreciate the people around me and have fun doing it.

It’s less dramatic than it sounds — there’s actually a lot of childlike wonder in these songs. A rediscovery of how beautiful things are, and an effort to just wrap our arms around that beauty as much as we can, take it in, and share it with people. Whatever it is that’s hanging you up, there are ways to get through it,  and life is infinitely more beautiful when you really embrace it.

How do you think your musical chemistry has evolved over the last twenty years of this band? 

I think it’s become more inclusive. The songwriting has followed a path where it really invites people in. You don’t have to study a music score to dive in, to hear these songs, or to play on them. Because of that, Andrew and I have been able to explore new dynamics live, and that’s been really cool — just having new terrain to play around in.

The chemistry between Andrew and me has been really solid over the last year and a half. It’s exciting and feels rekindled. The chemistry with the other musicians feeds off that. I like to think they feel welcomed to be themselves. It doesn’t require a lot of discussion; the music is intuitive. I don’t really tell anyone what to play; I just rely on their instincts. If you’re an empathetic player, the chemistry just happens.

In terms of your overall outlook and musical approach, do you think getting older and having families has been an influence and changed the way you make music or think about things like touring? 

Probably to some degree, subconsciously. I know it’s changed my schedule — that’s taken some adjusting. I used to lie in bed and write myself to sleep, but I don’t get to do that anymore because there are people sleeping all around me. So yeah, the way I write has definitely changed.

In my mind, though, I still think I’m 22, going at this like it’s my first run at it. I think my emotional relationship to music still carries all the delusions of someone in their early twenties — and I’m happy to say that. I wouldn’t be where I am if I weren’t at least a little delusional. Not to say I know exactly where I am, but I’m happy with where I’m at — and that means something good is happening.

I think just having remained who we are in the music world, and having been around as long as we have, there’s a certain pressure that’s lifted. Even though we still find ourselves in new places and with new opportunities all the time, I think I have a healthier perspective now. I’ve seen things rise and fall. I’ve seen a lot of bands I might have compared myself to go through these really unpredictable trajectories, for better or worse. It’s nice to have that perspective at this point, to understand that we don’t really know where any of this can lead. As long as we keep ourselves happy and healthy, that’s the most important thing. We’re a lot more immune to the hype now.

What does the future look like for the Barr Brothers? Can we expect more albums and touring, and will you stick to solo endeavors? 

Well, I’d like to make up for a lot of the gaps in releasing music. I’ve kind of resigned myself to trying to put out a record a year until my fingers stop working. I’d like to release both solo material and Barr Brothers records. And I’d like to be touring a reasonable amount.

Andrew’s experiences with Feist and Mumford and Sons have opened a lot of doors for him, and I think that’s been a great thing for everyone.

I really enjoy playing solo, and I do intend to release another record, this time with singing on it. And yes, definitely more Barr Brothers. There’s a lot of good stuff in the archives. The second Sleeping Operator record is being mixed right now. We rediscovered it 10 years after the fact, along with a bunch of songs that had been lying around, which became Let It Hiss. But that was just one bundle of songs. There are another 20 or 30 ideas waiting to be finished.