Carefully dropping the needle, I took in the crackles and pops as the record started spinning. It was spring break of 2022, and I had just bought my first vinyl LP, Courtney Barnett’s 2015 release “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.” I immediately fell in love with the album’s witty lyrics and electrifying instrumentals.
Four years after my first listen, the Australian singer-songwriter released her fourth solo studio album, “Creature of Habit,” on March 27. The project displays Barnett’s rare ability to balance playfulness and reflection in her lyricism, contrasting the frustration and gratitude that arise from navigating relationships, mental health and daily routines.
“Stay In Your Lane” starts the album off rock-heavy. Gritty vocals and gravelly bass lay the foundation for an angsty, reverbed electric guitar solo. Barnett sings of struggling to grow, repeating, “Please be patient.” This feeling of stagnation is a recurring theme throughout the album.
Single “Site Unseen (feat. Waxahatchee)” is a perfect indie-rock collaboration. The two harmonize about indecision and putting off conversations, backed by steady drums and a simple guitar chord progression. The vocals also don’t overpower the mix, leaving room for the instruments to take over.
My favorite aspect of Barnett’s music is her whimsical lyricism. Her metaphors and musings are refreshingly organic in a time when musicians seem to prioritize quirky lyrics that often fall flat.
“Mantis” easily straddles outlandishness and relatability. Barnett relays watching herself going through the motions of life with lines, “Singin’ autopilot days / Shinin’ ultraviolet rays / On this dusty skeleton.” The heavily figurative language communicates her need to find daily meaning, even if it’s from a praying mantis sitting at her doorstep.
The album’s instrumentation complements the lyricism’s lightheartedness and introspection. From tambourines to conga drums to cowbells, the musicians weren’t afraid to switch up the soundscape. The guitar parts range from electric riffs to acoustic rhythm and fingerstyle to match each track’s tone.
The journey from despair to hopefulness plays out simultaneously in “Sugar Plum.” The song starts at an emotionally low place, with lyrics “You’re either drowning in the deeper sea / Or drowning in the kitchen sink / Either way, it all feels like drowning.” The instruments drag under Barnett’s melancholy, but change at the halfway point.
As the drums speed up, the bassline livens and the tambourine enters the mix, Barnett feels a new wave of hope, singing “And I’ll learn to breathe again / And then when it’s over, it’ll be a new day.”
I adore how Barnett encapsulates this emotional progression. Maybe it’s the start of a new quarter, or watching the NU campus transform from the exhaustion of winter to bliss on the first 70-degree day of springtime, but the lyrics hit close to home.
“Creature of Habit” stays grounded with steady instrumentals and real emotions while its lyrics — sometimes literally — venture into the clouds. Though her lyrics reflect ambivalence, Barnett’s songwriting talent is undeniable.
It’s safe to say that I have no regrets about the artist I chose for my first vinyl purchase.
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