[Cover photo credit to Samantha Kniskern]
American Aquarium has announced new album New Ways to Lose, out June 26th, 2026, via Losing Side Records/Thirty Tigers. The single and video for “History Repeats Itself” are out now.
After more than two decades in music, the band have created a “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. Much of the record was tracked live, with Jennings “encouraging spontaneity and instinct over perfection.” A round of overdubs added three-part harmonies and horn arrangements to the songs.
Two side of American Aquarium’s identity are clear on the record, the confessional songwriter and the amplified Rock and Roll.
Frontman BJ Barham says:
All of my records are yearbooks. Twenty years from now, I’ll pull them off the shelf and remember exactly who I was when I wrote them.
The album’s title comes from legendary NC State Wolfpack announcer Gary Hahn, whose on-air quips like “and NC State finds a new way to lose today”, for the band “became metaphors for both sports fandom and the music business.”
American Aquarium have earned an international audience, headlined venues like the Ryman Auditorium, played Red Rocks, and even launched their own festival, Roadtrip to Raleigh, all without a major label or mainstream radio support.
New Ways to Lose has also been released independently through Barham’s own Losing Side Records. The band owns their own catalog and does things their own way, including releasing the album just two weeks after announcing it.
Barham adds:
We take our hits and we get back up, 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.
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 UK 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 – Racoon 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
