Halifax-based comedian Kyle Barnet has released his latest project, Joke into the Night, marking his second album and first full-length recording since the 2021 debut of his The Baby Bird E.P.
Released on January 17, Joke into the Night is available on various platforms, including Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music and Amazon Music.
Recorded at Zeroz, an arcade punk bar in Moncton, New Brunswick, Barnet says the title is a nod to an abandoned podcast idea from years ago.
“I never end up doing it, so I appropriated the title because I thought it sounded cool,” he says. “It has an 80s rock album vibe that I thought would make it catchy and memorable.”
Describing the album as a unique and original take on classic comedy standup tropes, Barnet promises a blend of traditional and experimental formats, with sketch comedy elements and even a touch of music at the end.
For example, Barnet shares a surreal comedy sketch from the album involving a graduation speech, self-reflection, and a wild accusation of sabotaging a high school karate tournament.
“It just goes off the rails immediately into an avant-garde, comedy sketch slash musical comedy nonsense,” he says.
Discussing the importance of local artists releasing as many projects as possible, Barnet emphasizes the challenges he faced in gaining support from friends who may not fully grasp the industry’s intricacies. Instead, he advocates for artists to share their work widely online, reducing reliance on friends and ensuring broader exposure.
“I don’t think we should rely on our friends to support us, and we should be putting stuff out onto the internet as much as possible,” he says.
In keeping with his philosophy of sharing content, Barnet has released a video version of the album on YouTube.
Describing his comedy as “weird” in our 2022 interview, Barnet continues to embrace the description “more than ever,” emphasizing his desire for a clear and distinct comedic identity.
“I want that to be very clear in my stand up, and I definitely embrace that as much as possible still, and the new album reflects that,” he says.
And despite his dedication to perfecting his craft, Barnet admits he has yet to achieve his goal of doing comedy full-time. However, he remains optimistic.
“I work hard on just writing my jokes and ensuring they are as perfect as possible, and while I haven’t landed any full-time gigs yet, it remains on the horizon,” he says.
Joke into the Night is now available on various platforms, including Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music and Amazon Music. You can follow Barnet on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.