American Aquarium

American Aquarium, an alternative country band, originated in 2005 from BJ Barham’s college dorm room in Raleigh, North Carolina. The band’s name was inspired by the Wilco song “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.” Over nearly two decades, Barham has guided the band through significant personnel changes, with over 26 different members, playing more than 3000 shows across 46 states and 13 countries. The band gained critical acclaim with their 2012 album, “Burn. Flicker. Die.”, produced by Jason Isbell, which was ironically about not achieving widespread success but ultimately helped them to do so. This album was nominated for “Best Americana/Roots Album” and “Best Album Artwork” in the 2013 Lone Star Music Awards.

American Aquarium has released seven original albums, demonstrating consistent productivity and evolving sound. In 2015, fans crowdfunded $24,000 for their album “Wolves,” recorded at Echo Mountain in Asheville, North Carolina. Significant releases include “Things Change” (2018), produced by John Fullbright, and “Lamentations” (2020), produced by Shooter Jennings, which reached No. 16 on the US Top Country Albums chart and No. 133 on the US Billboard 200. Their 2022 album, “Chicamacomico,” explored themes of grief and loss following personal tragedies, and was also crowdfunded by fans. This album also included co-writes with Grammy-winner Lori McKenna and Hayes Carll. On June 17, 2022, American Aquarium made their debut at the Ryman Auditorium.

The band’s most recent works, “The Fear of Standing Still” (2024) and “New Ways to Lose” (2026), both produced by Shooter Jennings, showcase a harder-edged rock sound and address themes such as Southern identity, generational trauma, and reproductive rights. Barham’s songwriting for “New Ways to Lose” was influenced by personal life events including his sobriety, parenthood, the loss of his mother and grandmother, and the death of his pet, Bueller. He also ran for town council in Wendell, North Carolina in 2025 to preserve the town’s character against encroaching development. American Aquarium maintains a structured operational approach, handling record distribution independently through Losing Side Records and prioritizing work-life balance for its members.