On Don’t Be Funny Without Me (DBFWM), Le Ren tells us, “I love the man I wanted to be,” as a matter of tender fact. She is funny while devastating, self-aware and a little self-deceiving. Across the record, she holds those contradictions close: shameless and ashamed, honest but still searching for a version of the truth that hurts a little less.

At its core, DBFWM explores love, jealousy, and the uneasy ways the two often intertwine. Across the album, Le Ren reflects on emotional entanglements from her twenties and the lingering push-and-pull between attachment, envy, and self-awareness. The result is a record that is both tender and sharply observant, balancing sincerity with a quiet, self-protective humour. Le Ren, if you didn’t already know, is the funny one.

After touring extensively opening for acts like Jeff Tweedy, Devendra Banhart, and Men I Trust, Le Ren returned to Canada to record the album in Mountain Grove, Ontario. Self-produced alongside old friends Fez Gielen and Jonas Bonetta, DBFWM carries a distinctly Canadian sensibility—Le Ren’s lyrics are imbued with that northern endurance, like watching the sunset fade behind the cracked asphalt on avenue du Parc, or from the parking lot of your favourite On Route. Sonically, DBFWM is more expansive than its predecessor: fuller arrangements, layered harmonies, and driving instrumentation that complement Le Ren’s angelic vocals. The record evokes the warmth of classic influences like Emmylou Harris and the emotional edge of Gillian Welch, while remaining firmly rooted in her own evolving voice.

Don’t Be Funny Without Me ends where it begins: with Le Ren craving an uncomplicated, pure love—something closer to her relationship with music itself. In doing so, she sings her evolving, aspirational self into being. Aching and intoxicating, the record feels like a post-breakup road trip with your best friend: no fixed destination, a trunk full of baggage (literal and figurative) and mottled sunlight warming your face through the car window.

The record is out August 28, 2026.