The duos surprise collaborative album has its first single titled “Over Everything.” This is Courtney Barnett’s second full-length album behind 2015’s fantastic Sometimes I Sit… and Kurt Vile’s latest since 2015 as well. They announced their joint album back in June and the title, Lotta Sea Lice, is indicative of both Barnett and Vile’s odd humor. I always like comparing them to a more modern and satirical Bob Dylan as their songwriting prowess is second to none and their humor often lays on the satirical side. My favorite example of this is Courtney Barnett’s 2016 single, “Three Packs a Day”, which on the surface seems like a blues song about cigarettes but the lyrics talk about Ramen noodles. This kind of humor stemming from witty song lyrics is what makes them so lovable.

Along with the song, Barnett and Vile released a music video. The black white, yin yang approach that their album art suggest is explored more in this video. The camera starts in a close-up position and zooms out throughout the video revealing beautiful landscapes where they are singing in. Kurt is wearing all white and Courtney is wearing all black. This is used to either blend in with the background or stick out like a sore thumb. It creates a very western-blues aesthetic that fits the music perfectly. Oh and also Barnett is singing Vile’s lines and vice versa. This also plays into their playful humor and their yin yang dynamic.

Musically the song hinges on classic blues chords that softly build up and change throughout the song. Towards the end, there is more complex electric guitar play but besides that, the song evokes a calming or relaxing tone. This sound seems within both artist’s range but contrast Barnett’s last album which was dominated by heavy rock riffs. Lyrically this song is more introspective than comedic opening with the line “When I'm all alone on my own by my lonesome/And there ain't a single 'nother soul around/I wanna dig into my guitar, bend a blues riff that hangs.” This lyricism is more prominent in Kurt’s music but Courtney also does this well in songs like “Depreston.” There does remain soft remnants of the humor in Courtney’s first verse, “When I'm by myself and it's daytime cuz down-under/Or wherever it is I live when it's evening.” I’m wondering if the entire album will have this vibe or if they will explore a multitude of different sounds. Regardless I’m super excited for this album to come out in October.

Happy Jamming!

Listen to the Single on Spotify:

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