Review: Rae Street- Courtney Barnett

: by Rob Costa; in Reviews; on 22 July 2021

There’s a song for every moment of your day, and if you’ve just woken up and poured your first coffee, let Courtney Barnett ease you into your day, with her latest effort, Rae Street.

Rae Street is a mellow, easy going song with a relaxed vibe.

Guitars, bass and percussion are stripped right down to bare bones in the production. The high reverb on the vocals create a spacious and warm feel, which compliment Courtney’s chilled out vocal style right down to a tee.

The guitar sound is clean, with a slight touch of overdrive and a good dose of reverb. Musically, the song is structured along a three chord progression in the verses, and switches to a slightly different three chord progression in the Chorus. The bass guitar and percussion music are understated, which helps the listener focus on Courtney’s vocals.

The chorus lifts in vocal register which adds a little dynamic, but in a subtle way which doesn’t stray too far from the verse, so it still maintains a relaxed vibe all the way through the song.

Courtney’s vocal style and guitar sound remind me a little of “Hole” (Courtney Love). It’s almost on the verge of grunge, the sweeter side of grunge, without the screaming of course. If you listen to Hole’s “Live through this” album, I think you’ll hear some similarities in the lighter shades of the songs.

Lyrically, Rae Street explores the mundane, suburban life and looking for change. These themes are explored in a slightly melancholy, but yet, light-hearted way. It doesn’t go heavy and deep into the dark, which helps separate it from the grunge movement all together.

A stand out and memorable line in the chorus is “Time is money, and money is no man’s friend”.

Courtney is a multi, Aria award winning artist from Australia. You’ll find Rae Street on Courtney’s new album” Things take time, take time”, set for release later this year on November 12.

Do yourself a favour and slot this track into your morning playlist!