Courtney Barnett Confirms Sophomore Album Is "Half-Written"

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Sep 16, 2016

Courtney Barnett has been slaying live audiences since the release of her excellent 2015 debut LP Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, but she's finally started to think about piecing together the follow-up.
 
Speaking to the NME, the Australian songsmith revealed that she's "half-written" her second album. She intends to increase her focus on the second full-length outing once her extensive touring schedule winds down in November.
 
"One day I hate everything I've written, the next it seems alright," she told the UK magazine. "When I get home from touring, I'll be able to think about it logically. So far, the new songs are a general reflection on the meaning of life, our purpose for being here and all that rubbish. I've been writing on piano a lot. It's darker and more melancholy, probably as a reflection on politics."
 
And while those ideas are percolating, the songs are far from being finished in their final forms. "I'm really bad at decision making," she said. "For me, finishing a song takes so much more effort than starting one. I've got some good half-songs for the next record, and maybe they'll turn into great full songs."
 
As for what those songs might sound like, fans of the first record might have to brace themselves for a totally different vibe on LP number two. "It could just be an album with me and a piano, so who knows? If I knew how the album was going to sound so far in advance, I wouldn't bother recording it," she told NME.
 
She didn't confirm whether or not her touring bandmates will appear on the upcoming effort, but she did add: "I love those guys, they're the greatest musicians."
 
Barnett's current tour schedule ends on November 19 with a show in Mexico. Hopefully work on the new record will resume not too long after that.
 
Since releasing Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Barnett has contributed to the National-curated Grateful Dead compilation Day of the Dead, and has also shared a delightful ode to over-consuming pre-packaged ramen noodles. Relive "Three Packs a Day" down below, while we await updates on her next musical move.
 

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