of Montreal Release Self-Aware Single ‘it’s Different for Girls,” Announce Album [Stream]

of Montreal have managed to be one of the most consistent acts of the past decade. Not necessarily in the tonalities of their music, though, as any good band is going to progress and experiment with new sounds over the course of their career. of Montreal provide a different, rarer kind of consistency — the ability to produce quality, interesting music for a number of years without alienating their initial fanbase, despite numerous changes in both their sound and lineup. Their newest psych-pop tune, “it’s different for girls,” proves to be no exception, and along with it comes an exciting announcement — a new album from the band, entitled Innocence Reaches, out August 12 on their home label of Polyvinyl Records.

“it’s different for girls” takes on inequality between genders and female objectification, a topic that usually leads to an eye-roll, but is done here without the forced feeling common in “topical” songs. In it, the narrator is divided. He muses over girls and their ability to be beautiful in the traditional feminine way, but statements like “They’re not numbed by oppression” and the lament of “They’re not expected to fight/They’re expected to sit and take some lesser man’s shit” prove that he’s not fully aware of the realities of the female existence. But how could he be expected to be, when he himself is not female? It’s this tongue-in-cheek play on the character’s own self-presumed ignorance and idealization of women that makes the song stand out — the song worships women in a way that it acknowledges is problematic.

Though, who would expect anything less from of Montreal?