Courtney Barnett has big plans for the rest of 2023. The Australia singer-songwriter has crafted a new instrumental album called End of the Day, out September 8th, as well as a brief North American tour in which she’ll perform one set of the new songs and one set of tracks from her back catalog.
The music in End of the Day began as a group of compositions Barnett wrote with her longtime collaborator, Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa, for the score to Danny Cohen’s 2021 Barnett documentary Anonymous Club. A year later, however, the artist found herself coming back to the brief improvisations, and decided to turn them into something more cohesive. The resulting album comprises 17 tracks Barnett tweaked and re-recorded into one seamless work.
An instrumental album already offers a change in artistry for Barnett, who became a critical darling in the 2010s for her brand of lyrical, almost spoken-word indie rock. Perhaps more importantly, however, is that End of the Day will be the last release on Milk! Records, the label the artist founded in 2012. Barnett went deep on her decision to shut down the label in a new interview with The Guardian, chalking it up to the understandable difficulties of running a small business.
“I’m still coming to terms with the end of it,” Barnett said. “But I’m letting go of that [guilt] feeling. It’s like that idea of looking after yourself so you can look after someone else. That reverse selfishness — you can’t love someone ‘til you love yourself — that kind of idea.”
Below, you can stream “Start Somewhere,” “Life Balance,” and “First Slow,” the first three tracks from End of the Day. Pre-orders for the project are ongoing.
Barnett and Mozgawa will take the new album on the road with a brief run of shows this fall. The tour includes stops in Brattleboro, Vermont, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, as well as two nights in New York City and Los Angeles. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, or find deals over at StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed via StubHub’s FanProtect Program.
Barnett’s last album was 2021’s These Things Take Time, Take Time, while last year she organized the compilation album Here and There, which benefitted reproductive rights organizations.
End of the Day Artwork:
Courtney Barnett 2023-2024 Tour Dates:
10/11 — Brattleboro, VT @ Stone Church
10/12 — New York, NY @ National Sawdust
10/13 — New York, NY @ National Sawdust
10/14 — Philadelphia, PA @ Sanctuary First Unitarian Church
10/15 — Washington, DC @ Atlantis
11/03 — Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge
11/04 — Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge
04/04-08 – Puerto Aventuras, MX @ One Big Holiday
06/15 – Manchester, UK @ Old Trafford ^
06/17 – Glasgow, UK @ Hampden Park ^
06/22 – London, UK @ London Stadium ^
07/27 – Birmingham, UK @ Villa Park Stadium ^
^ = w/ Foo Fighters
