Sometimes it’s difficult for me to fathom that Courtney Barnett hasn’t always been there, for as long as I’ve been happy losing myself in the slow flow of melancholy, mischievous rock songs. “Rae Street,” the new track from Barnett, is like a nudge from an old friend. It’s all so familiar: the rich, easygoing guitar tone, the soft shuffle of a beat, and Barnett’s distinctive Down Under drawl intoning, “In the morning I’m slow/ I drag a chair over to the window/ And I watch what’s going on.” Characteristically, the lyrics are evocatively observant and defined by wry understatement. I heard this song for the first time one day ago as I type this out, and yet, in the best way, it feels like it’s always been there.
Things Take Time, Take Time, the third studio album by Barnett, is scheduled for release in November.