The Australian singer-songwriter returns with a snapshot of suburban life.
Whether she’s rocking out or gently strumming, Courtney Barnett always has the ability to captivate her audience with her magnetic musical arrangements and relatable, slice-of-life lyrics. Returning three years after her last album, with ““Rae Street,” Barnett’s proven that all her gifts remain intact. The song is a breezy bit of folk, with her electric guitar playing out chords in a ramshackle fashion.
Throughout the song, Barnett paints a scene of life on a suburban street, commenting on her neighbors, “The day begins to shine/ The parent teaches the child how to ride/ The bike wobbles side to side/ Two dogs entangle, everybody smiles,” she sings, but also provides a reflective chorus where she notes that “Time is money/ And money is no man’s friend.” It’s a song about using the cover of normalcy to deal with existential fears about society and humanity’s future. Combining the mundane with the meditative, that’s where Barnett does her best work.
“Rae Street” will appear on Barnett’s third solo album, Things Take Time, Take Time, out on Nov. 12 via Mom+Pop Music/Marathon Artists.