She’s not too happy with society it seems, Courtney Barnett that is. Released in 2018, the ‘difficult second album’ has seemingly not been so difficult for Barnett, as Tell Me How You Really Feel is a smash success. Approaching 9 months on since its release, we analyse how she got it so right.
Playful, fun, catchy, it’s does what every artist dreams of achieving: forces you to press play over and over. The grunge-inspired yet rock-pop, bright-eyed-bushy-tailed riffs, hooks and licks reel you in and ingrain the songs on your mind – it’s incredibly infectious. Nirvana influences are clear, there are hints of early Kings of Leon at times too, her thrashed-out slacker style is both relentless and relaxing. Once you’re hooked, the angst lying with Barnett’s rambling lyricism and straight-to-the-point storytelling becomes clear. Her Aussie drawl is unique, her dry wit constantly apparent for all to hear as she narrates tales of failed romances, self-doubt, gender inequality and the strangeness of celebrity with rather refreshing realism and honesty.
‘Nameless Faceless’ provides the driest, cut-throat take from Barnett, critiquing gender inequalities, sexism and misogyny – “men are scared that women will laugh at them…women are scared that men will kill them”. The song on the whole tackles toxic masculinity and mocks men who believe they are disadvantaged, who feel they have a right to emotional intimacy, who are emotionally immature, but who are also innately sexist and abusive, and she ridicules them with dry, poignant wit and sarcasm, all-the-while over the top of an infectious melody and bombastic drum beat.
Her brand of music is dark yet comical, the use of puns and idioms bring a wry smile to your face. Even when she’s commenting on the most serious of topics, you can’t help but smirk. It also makes everything seem that little bit more familiar too, there’s a friendly warmth to it, but then you realise she’s talking about the toxic discourse around mental health, everyday sexism, racism and just general hate culture, and maybe it’s not so warm after all, but that’s the beauty of it, right, the contrasting tones of the actual lyrics and their underlying meaning, it’s superb wordplay by the Aussie. Tell Me… sees Barnett brilliantly articulates the feelings of self-doubt, loneliness and heartache and not only consoles you with her infectious sound and humorous tone, but offers some solutions too, “take your broken heart, turn it into art.”
Tell Me How You Really Feel is an addictive, multi-layered LP, one of those albums where upon each listen, you discover something new that you must’ve missed last time. And with each listen, and each realisation, you get to know Courtney Barnett that little bit more, you know, as she tells you how she really feels (sorry, I just couldn’t resist…).
