Courtney Barnett

Courtney Barnett

Barnett performing in 2014
Background information
Born 3 November 1988
Northern Beaches, Sydney Australia
Origin Melbourne, Australia
Genres Indie rock
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 2006–present
Labels Milk! Records, Marathon Artists, Mom + Pop Music, House Anxiety
Website www.courtneybarnett.com.au
Members See members section below

Courtney Barnett (born 1988[1]) is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Melbourne. Known for her witty, rambling lyrics and deadpan singing style,[2] she attracted attention from the North American and UK music press in October 2013[3] with the release of 2 EPs and well-received performances at the CMJ Music Marathon. At the latter event, Barnett was mentioned by both Rolling Stone[4] and The New York Times[5] as a standout performer.

Barnett’s debut album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, was released on 23 March 2015.

Career

From 2010–2011 Barnett played second guitar in Melbourne garage grunge band Rapid Transit. They released one self-titled album on cassette.

Between 2011 and 2013 Barnett was a member of Australian psych/country band Immigrant Union, a musical project founded by Brent DeBoer of The Dandy Warhols and Bob Harrow. Along with sharing vocal duties, Barnett predominantly played slide guitar and features on the band's second studio album, Anyway. DeBoer also played drums on Barnett's first EP, I've Got a Friend called Emily Ferris.[6]

In 2012, Barnett established her own label, Milk! Records, and released her debut EP, I've Got a Friend called Emily Ferris, to glowing reviews around Australia.

In 2013 Barnett played lead guitar on Jen Cloher's third studio album, In Blood Memory, which was released on Milk! Records.

Barnett received international critical acclaim in 2013 with her second EP, How to Carve a Carrot into a Rose. "Avant Gardener" from the album was named 'Best New Track' by Pitchfork Media in 2013.[7]

Barnett combined these two releases into one, The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas, released internationally on 20 May 2013 via House Anxiety/Marathon Artists.[8] It was named the album of the week by Stereogum[9] The track "History Eraser" was nominated for the APRA Song of the Year.[10]

Milk! Records released a compilation EP, A Pair of Pears (with Shadows), on 10" white vinyl in September 2014, following a crowd sourcing campaign in July that year. The EP included a Courtney Barnett song, "Pickles from the Jar", the song was voted in at number 51 in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2014.[11]

On 30 January 2015, Barnett released details on her upcoming full-length album, recorded in April 2014 with Burke Reid, along with two singles, "Pedestrian at Best" and "Depreston" and accompanying music videos. The music video for "Pedestrian at Best" features Jen Cloher and Davey Lane. Her debut album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, was released worldwide on 23 March 2015.[12]

Members

Current

  • Courtney Barnett – vocals, guitar, songwriting
  • Bones Sloane – bass, backing vocals
  • Dave Mudie – drums
  • Dan Luscombe – guitar

Former

  • Pete Convery – bass
  • Alex Hamilton – guitar
  • Alex Francis – guitar

Personal

Barnett grew up in Sydney's Northern Beaches. When she was 16, her family moved from Sydney to Hobart, where she later attended Tasmanian School of Art.[13] Courtney currently lives in Melbourne with partner Jen Cloher. The song "Numbers" is written by Courtney and Jen about their relationship.

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[14]		 IRE
[15]		 NLD
[16]		 NZ
[17]		 UK
[18]		 US
[19]
Sometimes I Sit and Think,
and Sometimes I Just Sit		 4 28 26 19 16 20

EPs

Year Title Format Released Label
2012 I've Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris CD/Digital 2 April 2011 Milk! Records
2013 How to Carve a Carrot into a Rose CD/Digital 15 October 2013 Milk! Records
2013 The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas 12" vinyl
CD/Digital		 20 May 2013 Milk! Records
Marathon Artists
House Anxiety
Mom + Pop Music

Singles

References

  1. ↑ "SXSW: Indie ‘it’ girl Courtney Barnett is bracing for the backlash". Thestar.com. 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2015-03-26.
  2. ↑ Greene, Jayson (1 October 2013). "Rising: Courtney Barnett". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  3. ↑ Newstead, Al (4 October 2013). "It's An Aussie Invasion, Local Artists Making Waves Overseas". Tonedeaf. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  4. ↑ Hermes, Will (22 October 2013). "CMJ 2013's 10 Best Discoveries: Courtney Barnett". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  5. ↑ Pareles, Jon (20 October 2013). "Marathon of the Formulaic and Eclectic: At the CMJ Music Marathon, Perky Bands and Less So". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  6. ↑ Boulton, Martin (11 May 2012). "City just fine and Dandy". The Age. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "The Top 100 Tracks of 2013". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Henriques-Gomes, Luke (22 October 2013). "Courtney Barnett Talks Shadow Electric, Her Double EP, & Accidentally Making It Overseas". Tonedeaf. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  9. ↑ Breihan, Tom (15 October 2013). "Album of the Week: Courtney Barnett The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  10. ↑ "Avant Gardener". Remote Control Records. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Triple J: Hottest 100 2014". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Wilson, Martin. "Courtney Barnett Shares Video & Album Details". Overblown. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  13. ↑ Young, Kane (28 April 2014). "Ex Hobart rocker Courtney Barnett wows US crowds on The Tonight Show". The Mercury. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  14. ↑ "Discography Courtney Barnett". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  15. ↑ "TOP 100 ARTIST ALBUM, WEEK ENDING 26 March 2015". GFK Trach Chart. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "Discography Courtney Barnett". dutch-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Courtney Barnett". New Zealand Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  18. ↑ Charts, Official. "Courtney Barnett". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "Courtney Barnett Chart History" (SELECT "BILLBOARD 200" LINK). RIAA (in English). Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2015.