Indie darling Courtney Barnett heading back to Hamilton
Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett is heading to Aotearoa in November to tour her latest album Creature of Habit. Now based in California, Barnett wrote and recorded much of the album over 18 months, based in Joshua Tree.
Barnett’s wry observational songwriting has seen her become an indie favourite as a touring and festival artist. She’s also known for a very distinctive Australian sound.
Free FM show host Oliver Grey asked Barnett about the impact of a change in location in a recent interview. Barnett said it was hard to pin down, but the environment that she’s in, the location and the people around her always play into her writing.
” I bounced around a fair bunch through the process of making the album. I was looking out a lot of different windows for sure.”
Barnett was last in Hamilton in 2021 with a solo tour shortly after COVID restrictions lifted but is bringing her whole band this time.
“It’s definitely going to be louder and have more energy than that last tour”
While she is excited to bring the band back and play some rock shows, Barnett said the 2021 shows hold a special place in her heart, “because they did feel really intimate, and the crowds were so beautiful”
“I really loved that tour, and that was quite unique as well, because that was kind of a COVID restriction in a way, like budget. It was one of a kind, that tour.”
Creature of Habit features a collaboration with Katie Crutchfield of Waxahachie and bass playing from Flea of Red Hot Chili Pepper. She has also collaborated previously with Kurt Vile, from The War on Drugs who she met backstage at festivals around the world.
Barnett feels these connections just come with time, which “opens the doors” and that it isn’t necessarily being in a particular location, but a combinationof things: “the process of making music and travelling and being open to collaborating with people”.
On the new album, Barnett has experimented with some new sounds. She said she is “always trying to try new things and be curious about different sounds and different instruments”. It’s something she said keeps it interesting in the studio and keeps the writing process spontaneous.
Barnett and band will be at BNZ Theatre on November 18. Information and tickets from Live Nation
