Courtney Barnett - 'Small Talk'

SURPRISE! Courtney Barnett has dropped a new single ahead of her upcoming tour. Written during the sessions that birthed her second solo album ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’ released earlier this year, ‘Small Talk’ employs Barnett’s signature conversational lyric style and lives up to the song’s title.

The track conveys the mundanity of making polite conversation about shaving habits, siblings and hoping ‘they have kids so I can be a cool auntie’ (Courtney Barnett would be the coolest auntie ever to be fair) whilst waiting for someone else you’d rather talk to. The gently rocking rhythm is perfect for sidestepping to and the infectious chorus line ‘I’m waiting here for you’ should make this an easy sing-a-long at her live shows.

Despite coming in at five and a half minutes, it breezes by as you listen to Barnett speak-singing her side of the conversation in your ear. Overall, it’s a charming listen and from the subject matter to the delivery offers a winsome self-awareness that is uniquely hers.

Words by Hattie Long