Canadian group James Barker Band signs deal

Friday, May 14, 2021 – Canadian group the James Barker Band has signed a deal with Villa 40/Sony Music Nashville, it was announced today.

Originally from Ontario, Canada, the band released "Over All Over Again," their first release through the label, today.

"We're so excited to be putting new music out and starting this new chapter in the U.S.," said JBB frontman James Barker. "They've been so great at allowing us to chase down different creative avenues while staying true to our sound. We had the chance this past year to dig in on the writing front, which actually made it harder to choose this single since we had so many tracks to pick from."

"In the end, 'Over All Over Again' just felt like the right song at the right time," he continues. "There's a kind of blueness to it from the darkness of the chords and melody, but the tempo keeps it clear of any gloomy territory. I love the lyrics because there's a little bit of that 'I know this is going to hurt like hell tomorrow, but it's going to be good tonight' thing, done in a clever way that makes it a quintessential, heartbreaking country song."

Written during the pandemic over two days in a locked-down writing room in Nashville by Barker, Travis Wood, Gavin Slate and Todd Clark, "Over All Over Again" brings a new blues undertone to JBB's repertoire.

The band is comprised of Barker (lead vocals/guitar), Taylor Abram (guitar/background vocals), Connor Stephen (drums) and Bobby Martin (bass). They grew up within an hour of each other in rural towns surrounding Toronto. In 2017, their single "Chills" straight to the top of Billboard 's Canadian Hot 100 chart. The upbeat anthem also achieved Platinum status, alongside other songs from their introductory LP "Game On," earning them numerous national awards. The band also had a number one in Canada with "Keep It Simple" in 2019.