Eight years after their last full-length album, Montreal’s The Barr Brothers return with Let It Hiss, a record born from rupture and renewal. Written and recorded in their own Montreal studio, the album captures what happens when two lifelong collaborators stop polishing the edges and start letting the static show.

“In 2022, we found ourselves at a breaking point,” says Brad Barr. “The real story of this record is the story of that change and everything that came after.” His brother Andrew adds, “Let It Hiss is what happened when we stopped pretending everything was fine and finally listened to what was actually going on.” That spirit of unfiltered honesty runs through every moment of the album, from the quiet surrender of “Take It From Me” to the exuberant chaos of “Upsetter.”

Produced by Brad and Andrew and mixed by Jon Low (The National, Bon Iver, Taylor Swift), Let It Hiss moves between intimacy and abandon. Elizabeth Powell of Land of Talk joins on “Run Right Into It,” while Jim James of My Morning Jacket lends harmonies to the aching “English Harbour.” Klô Pelgag’s voice glides through the cinematic “Moonbeam,” while “Naturally,” featuring La Force, channels the restraint and melody of classic craftsmen. “Owning Up to Everyone” stands at the heart of the record, a moment that captures both the fragility and strength that define the album.

For the Barr Brothers, Let It Hiss is a homecoming, not to the sound that made them known but to the connection that made them brothers in the first place. They left the imperfections in, chased the fun again, and rediscovered why they started making music together. The result is their most personal and liberated album to date.

Catch the band on tour with Mumford & Sons.