Time to Shine BREAKOUT AUSTRALIAN STAR COURTNEY BARNETT FINDS POSITIVITY AND PARTNERSHIP ON THE ROAD
by Danielle Allaire
COURTNEY BARNETT IS NOT ONE to shy away from a difficult conversation. The Aussie’s debut hit,“Avant Gardener,” was written about an anxiety attack. She touts song titles like “Crippling Self-Doubt And A General Lack of Self-Confidence,” but don’t mistake her vulnerability for emotionally induced loafing. Barnett is an artist of reflection and action. Her approach to troubadouring indie rock is singular in its honesty. She documents the acute, and sometimes painful, minutiae of life, zooming out for a macro vantage point, full of possibility. Her first two records brought lackadaisical melodies and crunchy guitars along with her signature wit and TMI lyrics. Despite the apparent openness, there was something concealed; a little like lying to your therapist.“I would talk about how it was vulnerable,” she says.“But, in hindsight, I feel like it was very guarded. This one actually feels vulnerable.” “This one” is her latest album, Things Take Time, Take Time . On it, she proves that transparency and, yes, time heals all wounds. After an exhaustive tour for her second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel , in early 2020, Barnett needed a break. Maybe it was pandemic prescience, but self-care was already at the top of her to-do list. Back in her hometown of Melbourne, the slowdown and solitude of lockdown let her relax, reclaim life as a person—not as a touring musician— and reconnect with herself. It was during this respite that Things Take Time, Take Time took shape. Going back to her bedroom-musician roots, she notes,“I did find myself working in a different way, kind of with different restraints,” with new instruments, a softer sound, and home recording techniques among them.
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AUGUST 2022
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