Courtney Barnett returned on Tuesday with “If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight”, the final single from her upcoming album Things Take Time, Take Time. The third LP from the Australian singer-songwriter is due out on Friday via Mom+Pop Music/Marathon Artists.
The opening line of “If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight” seems to suggest a return to Barnett’s old ways as she quips, “Stars in the sky are gonna die/eventually, it’s fine.” However when Courtney says “it’s fine,” she actually means it as she continues the recurring theme of accepting those things she cannot change instead of letting them dominate her psyche like on past projects. “If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight” takes listeners through Courtney Barnett’s coping mechanisms in real-time.
“I think my stance in the past was like, ‘There’s so many love songs and they don’t mean anything,’ but there’s something really special about zooming in on a moment and capturing it,” Barnett said in a press release. “‘If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight’ comes from the state of where my head was at—trying to communicate honestly instead of keeping [my feelings] guarded.”
Through previously released singles “Rae Street“, “Before You Gotta Go“, and “Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To“, the alt-pop indie-rocker introduced audiences to a new side of herself. Though the deep-seated fears and anxieties of Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit and Tell Me How You Really Feel still exist, Barnett takes listeners on a guided journey toward a more stable and healthy mental being. In the time since her last album in 2018, Barnett has entered into a long-term relationship and that joy and contentment has become an indelible piece of her new music, just how her loneliness was integral to her old music. Long live happy Courtney.
Watch the music video for the new Courtney Barnett single “If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight” and look for Things Take Time, Take Time out this Friday. Click here to pre-order. Barnett will kick off a North American tour, her first in three years, on November 29th at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas in Nevada. For tickets and a full list of dates visit her website.
Courtney Barnett – “If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight” (Official Video)