Courtney Barnett is a 26-year-old Australian singer/songwriter and we can't get enough of her. Eschewing a major label to sign to House Anxiety (formerly home to The Big Pink), her songs are more lyrical postcards, documenting the mundanities in life, from having an asthma attack to getting herself off at night.
**The Debrief: Hi, Courtney! You've just signed to an independent label, rather than a major one, which is kind of a big deal. Why? **
CB: I signed to an indie because I like working with people who share the same ideals as me. Commercialism isn't that important. It's important to write great songs. Everything else is second.
**DB: As well as writing the record, you do all the artwork. Do you think you're a bit of a control freak? **
CB: Yeah, I'm a bit of a perfectionist control-freak neurotic stress-head, I guess! If you want something done, do it yourself. It's all part of the same process for me. My artwork represents the music, the music represents the idea.
DB: The record's quite lo-fi sounding, isn't it?
CB: It's not intentional, I just work within my means. I've never had much money so we recorded in a lounge room instead of a studio because we couldn't afford a studio. The artwork is black pen on printer paper because that's what I had available.
DB: Your songs have a slightly rambling way of delivering music, without the traditional verse/chorus...
CB: I guess it's like lyrical brainstorming. I read notes out loud over a guitar line until I find a melody. Sometimes I don't find a melody and I just end up with a mess of words. Hence the rambles.
DB: Where do your ideas come from?
CB: I don't know. If I knew, I'd have written 100 songs by now and released 10 albums. I keep a journal and take notes of things that happen every day, things I see, things I hear and so on. Then they turn into songs at some point. I'm always inspired by different things, artwork, literature, movies, stories, it all adds up.
DB: You're currently touring, like, the whole world. Was it what you expected a tour to be like!?
CB: It's exciting! I wouldn't call it a 'world' tour! It's more of a brief prelude kind of tour, ha ha, London, Paris and a few shows across America. The most exciting part is always just playing the music and seeing new towns. The most boring part is the sitting around waiting for stuff to happen. But that's what books are for, I guess.
DB: What's it like being a girl on tour? Are there ever any awkward, 'Where do I buy tampons in Singapore' moments?
CB: Ha ha, I've never really had any moments like that! It's pretty much the same as being a boy on tour, I guess. But, yeah, sometimes I have to buy tampons! The boys [her band, crew and tour manager] are the most sensitive and supportive people I know, if we ever encounter any sexist bullshit along the way, they're the first to stand up to it.
DB: You write a lot about your anxiety. How do you deal with it now?
CB: I've tried lots of things, but now I just try to exercise and eat well.
**DB: I've heard that's the best way. How do you feel about people picking up on the line about you having a diddle to get yourself to sleep? **
CB: Ha! I didn't write it for shock value, but I guess it's a good thing that all lyrics once written are open for discussion. There's a lot of common themes and topics in songs that people get used to hearing, this is just another everyday thing that never really gets a shout out.
DB: Do you feel a bit like a voice of your generation?
CB: No way! But if I was, I'd say, 'Read more books, don't litter, be nice to your parents, be nice in general, look before you leap, drink lots of water, look after the environment, and most importantly be yourself.'
History Eraser* is out 24 Feb on Marathon. If you missed Courtney live this time around, she'll be back in the UK in May. *
Follow Hanna on Twitter @HannaHanra
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.