Here\u2019s to those who do things the hard way on purpose, who sidestep the shortcuts even when they\u2019re splayed out right there in front of them, that thrust themselves into the hardest jobs in pursuit of dwindling prospects in dying industries simply because someone still has to shoulder that burden. Here\u2019s to doing things with a dogged, stubborn determination simply because others believe they can\u2019t be done. This new album from North Carolina\u2019s American Aquarium is for you. <\/p> Some songs and albums pass over you like a cool, calming breeze, or confer a simple, easy joy in music that distract you from everyday anxieties and troubles. That\u2019s not the experience of New Ways To Lose<\/em>. It comes at you like a closed fist, threatening to leave a bruise. But it\u2019s that bare knuckle delivery that makes the music and the message so potent, toughening up the skin and resolve of its audience for life\u2019s real world challenges. If you need a rallying cry, this is your poison. Indulging in this album is like chugging a quart of motor oil for your weary soul. <\/p> Songwriter and frontman BJ Barhamn opens the album making the audience ponder a town so destitute and upside down, even the Dollar General is shutting down. This isn\u2019t an album to ferry you away from life\u2019s troubles. It\u2019s here to spit and snarl in your face, and speak to the true life trials and tribulations so many are facing in the late stage American empire. <\/p> BJ Barham gets his fair share of criticism for being political in some of his songs and online presence. He doesn\u2019t wilt from that reputation on New Ways To Lose<\/em> whatsoever. But perhaps his words have never been more prescient and universal, irrespective of one\u2019s political affiliations. \u201cThe worst trick ever played was taking our voice, and giving us two sides in the illusion of choice,\u201d <\/em>he sings on the opening song, giving few if anyone anything to argue with. \u201cIt ain\u2019t left vs. right, it\u2019s bottom vs. top. Until we figure it out this ain\u2019t gonna stop.\u201d<\/em> <\/p> Later in the album on the lead single \u201cHistory Repeats Itself,\u201d Barham again perfectly encapsulates a pretty common grievance by growling, \u201cWoke up today and they\u2019re tearing down another thing I love about this town<\/em>. Little men in ill-fitting suits, making the decisions for me and you. Tall and skinny, cheap and fast. Who gives a damn how long they\u2019ll last? Get the money, get out of town. Be long gone before it all falls down.\u201d<\/em> BJ Barham is never short of things to bark about, but that doesn\u2019t mean there are some more meaningful moments for the album to capture, whether it\u2019s the nostalgic sense of freedom from rolling the windows down instead of relying on A\/C in the song \u201c4X60,\u201d or reminiscing about his dog in \u201cFavorite Hello.\u201d Frankly though, these are all outclassed by the reassuring passages of \u201cOut There in the Dark\u201d that will be taken as soul medicine for those who need to hear it, and be accused by some as being the best song on New Ways To Lose<\/em>. <\/p> The album does have a couple of more unexceptional moments. \u201cWhatever Helps You Sleep At Night\u201d is fine as a classic rock-style song, but struggles to lend to the deeper themes of the record. Producer Shooter Jennings adds some layers of noise to try and make the final song \u201cBad Habits\u201d a bit more interesting, but it might end up just making it even more forgettable. You also wonder about the chimey melody of \u201cFavorite Hello,\u201d which takes you out of the more rustic mood of the rest of the record. Another accusation you might hear is that this album at times just sounds a little too close to Springsteen, not limited to the tail end of the \u201cDollar General\u201d chorus. <\/p> But just when you\u2019re ready to accuse the second half of the album of being weaker than the first\u2014and a song like \u201cJust Like You\u201d being a little to obvious with the way it looks to stir emotions\u2014BJ Barham delivers the line \u201cHer little fingers trace the divots of her last name carved in stone,\u201d and it\u2019s hard to not lose it. Barham knows how to push those emotional buttons better than most, and makes sure to deliver those moments throughout this album. <\/p> Whatever weaker moments New Ways To Lose<\/em> might have, the strong moments are so strong, it elevates the album to an elite status. Great albums rise to meet the moment and speak to it resolutely, and with authority. Never losing touch with the heavy emotions and hard choices so many of the people in his own audience are weighted down and faced with, BJ Barham and American Aquarium deliver an impassioned, propulsive, and potent experience to those unafraid to lose in life, and would rather do so than win the easy way. <\/p> 8.4\/10 <\/strong><\/p> \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013<\/p> Stream<\/a><\/strong> New Ways To Lose<\/em>, Purchase<\/a><\/strong> from American Aquarium<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/savingcountrymusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/american-aquarium-new-ways-to-lose.jpg\")
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