REVIEW: Courtney Barnett, "Tell Me How You Really Feel"
courtney barnett
"tell me how you really feel"
Now available on MOM+POP Music.
On first listen, Tell Me How You Really Feel is a perfect summer record. Songs associated with summer are typically near nauseatingly upbeat and positive, evoking images of beaches. Barnett explores a more wistful sound, turning the trope of summer music sideways while delivering strong, surf influenced guitar riffs and deadpan vocal delivery that made her initial effort so well-loved. By panning away from introspection, Barnett turns the focus on to those around her. She speaks of the perceptions of friends, lovers, strangers, and all in between while still baring herself vulnerable yet confident manner.
One of Barnett’s strong suits lies in her lyrics. They convey a wry wit, speaking of personal interactions that have the possibility of being near-universal while also maintaining specificity — there’s a genius to being able to do that well without pandering, and she hits the nail on the head in that regard. This is seen again on “Nameless, Faceless,” exploring what it means to be a woman making art in the current social climate. Barnett bottles the tumultuousness and anger of creating under patriarchy and delivers it in a straightforward package.
“I’m Not Your Mother, I’m Not Your Bitch” speaks to the dichotomy in interpersonal relationships that nearly any non-man will be able to relate to. If you aren’t nurturing and self effacing, you’re classed under ‘bitch’ — angry, bitter, only worthy of scorn from others. A sense of exhaustion comes of that as the last lines ring out, "Put up or shut up, it's all the same / It's all the same, never change, never change.”
This type of lyrical prowess shines through on “City Looks Pretty.” Lyrics like "The city looks pretty when you been indoors/For 23 days I've ignored all your phone calls/And everyone's waiting when you get back home/They don't know where you been, why you gone so long.” will ring too true for anyone prone to bouts of self-isolation. This all is bookended by an impossibly catchy melody, assuredly leaving you dancing in catharsis while singing along to “sometimes I get sad/ it’s not all that bad.”
Sonically, Tell Me How You Really Feel verges on a very retro vibe, but it isn’t forced or hokey. Directness as explored in the lyrics is anchored by psychedelic inspired guitar riffs and simple yet evocative drums, ensuring the message she crafts are delivered successfully and pointedly. It’s rock and roll and folk and pop all simultaneously, interweaving the best things from all genres — sing-song melodies in the choruses, full but not extravagant guitar solos, and an extraordinarily clever storytelling ability.
On Tell Me How You Really Feel, Courtney Barnett finds the middle ground, panning away from introspection while still sticking true to the hallmarks that made her first album so well loved. Overall, Tell Me How You Really Feel is a summer album for the melancholic. Those who spent the winter indoors leaving texts on read and cancelling plans, can step out into the sun with this as their soundtrack — a smart, catchy record that feels as warm and complicated as the changing of the seasons.
Stream Tell Me How You Really Feel on Spotify:
COURTNEY BARNETT TOUR DATES
UK and Europe
Sat 25 May - Belfast at BBC’s Biggest Weekend (tix)
Tues 29 May - Leeds at O2 Academy (tix) +
Wed 30 May - Brussels at Ancienne Belgique (tix) +
Thurs 31 May - Utrecht at Tivoli Vredenburg Ronda (tix) +
Sat 2 June - Glasgow at Barrowlands (tix) +
Sun 3 June - London at All Points East Festival (tix)
Mon 4 June - Manchester at Academy (tix) +
Tues 5 June - Bristol at O2 Academy (tix) +
Wed 6 June - London at Roundhouse (tix) +
Sat 9 June - Paris at Bataclan (tix) +
Sun 10 June - Luxembourg at Den Atelier (tix) +
Mon 11 June - Berlin at Astra Kulturhaus (tix) +
Wed 13 June - Cologne at Live Music Hall (tix) +
USA and Canada
Fri 6 July - Winnipeg, MB at Winnipeg Folk Festival (tix)
Sat 7 July - Des Moines, IA at 80/35 Festival (tix)
Mon 9 July - Toronto, ON at Danforth Music Hall (tix) ^
Tues 10 July - Toronto, ON at Danforth Music Hall (SOLD OUT) ^
Wed 11 July - Ottawa, ON at Ottawa Blues Festival (tix)
Thurs 12 July - North Adams, MA at MASS MoCA (tix) ^
Sat 14 July - Columbus, OH at Newport Music Hall (tix) ^
Sun 15 July - Louisville, KY at Forecastle Festival (tix)
Tues 17 July - St. Louis, MO at The Pageant (tix) ^
Wed 18 July - Kansas City, MO at Truman (tix) ^
Fri 20 July - Chicago, IL at Pitchfork Music Festival (tix)
Sat 21 July - Minneapolis, MN at Surly Brewing Festival Field (tix) ~#
Sun 22 July - Edmonton, AB at Intersteller Rodeo (tix)
Tues 24 July - Washington DC at The Anthem (tix) ^#
Wed 25 July - Brooklyn, NY at Celebrate Brooklyn Prospect Park (tix) ^#
Thurs 26 July - Portland, ME at State Theatre (tix) #
Sat 28 July - Newport, RI at Newport Folk Festival (SOLD OUT)
Sat 29 Sept - Denver, CO at Ogden Theatre (tix) ++
Sun 30 Sept - Denver, CO at Ogden Theatre (tix) ++
Tues 2 Oct - Phoenix, AZ at The Van Buren (tix) ++
Wed 3 Oct - San Diego, CA at The Observatory North Park (tix) ++
Fri 5 Oct - Los Angeles, CA at The Greek Theatre (tix) ++
Mon 8 Oct - Seattle, WA at Paramount Theatre (tix) ++
Wed 10 Oct - Vancouver, BC at Vogue Theatre (tix) ++
Fri 12 Oct - Portland, OR at Crystal Ballroom (tix) ++
Sun 14 Oct - Oakland, CA at Treasure Island Music Festival (tix)
Wed 17 Oct - Milwaukee, WI at Pabst Theater (tix) ++
Sun 21 Oct - Boston, MA at House of Blues (tix) ++
Tues 23 Oct - Philadelphia, PA at The Fillmore (tix) ++
Thurs 25 Oct - Nashville, TN at Marathon Music Works (tix) ++
Sat 27 Oct - Austin, TX at Stubb's (tix) ++
Australia and New Zealand
Fri 17 Aug - Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide (tix) *
Sat 18 Aug - Metropolis, Fremantle (tix) *
Weds 22 Aug - The Tivoli, Brisbane (tix) *
Thurs 23 Aug - Sydney Opera House (tix)
Sat 25 Aug - Sydney Opera House (tix)
Weds 29 Aug - The Powerstation, Auckland (tix) *
Thurs 30 Aug - Opera House, Wellington (tix) *
Sat 1 Sept - Festival Hall, Melbourne (tix) *
% with Palehound
^^ with LALA LALA
+ with Loose Tooth
^ with Vagabon
~ with Lucy Dacus
# with Julien Baker
++ with Waxahatchee
* with East Brunswick All Girls Choir