Barenaked Ladies Announce New Album “In Flight” Out September 15

Aug 18, 2023

Today, the legendary rockers Barenaked Ladies announced their highly anticipated new album, In Flight, set for release on September 15. Across 14 tracks, the band’s eighteenth studio album retains the dry wit and keen observation that BNL are known for, while also adding a strong sense of maturing and lessons learned. Available for pre-order as of today, exclusive D2C packages are available to include items such as In Flight on CD, cassette (a nod to BNL’s independent, platinum cassette, The Yellow Tape (1991), 180 gram colored double vinyl with two bonus tracks, a flight jacket, duffle bag and even a cassette player – all available for pre-order here. Alongside the release of In Flight, Barenaked Ladies will also be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their chart-topping hit single, “One Week.”

Barenaked Ladies also shared their newest single + video, “One Night.” The latest peek into their new album, the track addresses the unique relationship the band have always had with their fans. BNL’s Ed Robertson says that the song addresses “the magical connection that happens between a whole audience and a band. When it goes right—which it almost always does—for that ‘One Night’ it’s a very intense connection.” The rocking single is paired with a colorful video directed by Phil Harder (who previously directed six of BNL’s previous videos, including “Pinch Me”) which celebrates the magic that happens when two people connect.

Watch the “One Night” Music Video

After more than three decades as the lead singer and guitarist for Barenaked Ladies, Ed Robertston has a routine when it comes time to start writing songs for a new album. “I tend to get ideas while I’m driving up to my lake house,” he says. “I record voice memos along the way, and then I mix and match the various ideas I’ve come up with. On a typical drive, I’m happy if I get six or seven—eight ideas would be a good drive. For this album,” he continues, “on my first writing trip I had 21 different song ideas. I sat down to write, and I thought if I could finish one of them—get the verses, get the bridge, get the chorus in one day—then I’ll know this whole writing period is going to be good. And I finished eight songs. I sat down at 10 in the morning, and I looked up at 9:30 and I hadn’t eaten, I hadn’t moved from the writing table. It was exciting. I’ve never felt that before.”

Produced by Grammy and Juno-award winning producer Eric Ratz and recorded at Noble Street Studios in Toronto, Barenaked Ladies’ upcoming new album In Flight marks a new chapter for the band. Maybe it’s just the passage of time, maybe the joy of getting back on the road after the COVID lockdown, but Ed Robertson has noticed a change in his own attitude which adjusted his tone on the new project. While BNL’s last album, 2021’s Detour de Force, looked closely at the perils of contemporary, alternate reality media, In Flight offers a sense of joy and appreciation for life.

In addition to the eight songs written/co-written by Ed Robertson, the album features four songs from Kevin Hearn, (two of which are love letters to Toronto: “See the Tower” and “The Peace Lady”) and two from Jim Creeggan, (“Just Wait” and “Wake Up”). The album also features co-writers such as Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra), who co-wrote “One Night” and “Lovin’ Life” (the latter with Thirty Seconds to Mars’ Steve Aiello), as well as notable Canadian musicians Max Kerman (Arkells) and Donovan Woods.

Ed Robertson says, “We’re a band that has committed to being who we are and what we are, and being as good as we can be—doing the best shows we can do, writing the best songs we can write—and we’ve done it for 35 years. I’m super proud of that.”

Over the course of 35 years, Barenaked Ladies have sold more than 15 million albums, earned Grammy nominations and won multiple Juno Awards, and in 2018, were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Widely acknowledged as one of the best live acts on the planet, the band has hosted a cruise, had its own ice cream flavor, and has built up an arsenal of hits such as “If I Had $1,000,000,” “One Week,” “Pinch Me,” and “The Big Bang Theory Theme.” They’ve become an institution with a passionately dedicated audience and a constant flow of new fans.

In Flight Tracklist:

  1. Lovin’ Life
  2. One Night
  3. Enough Time
  4. What Do We Need?
  5. Just Wait
  6. Waning Moon
  7. Fifty for A While
  8. Too Old
  9. See the Tower
  10. Wake Up
  11. Clearly Lost
  12. The Dream Hotel
  13. I Am Asking You To
  14. The Peace Lady