Since her stellar 2015 debut, Aussie indie rocker Courtney Barnett has staked out her territory in a very specific sound. Her lyrics are rambling observations about the minutiae of everyday life and her delivery is conversational; yet the songs are greater than the sum of their parts. Over alternatingly ragged and lackadaisical guitar, she perfectly encapsulates the feeling of aimlessness and self-doubt, zooming in on the very real emotions that can be found within the minutiae. Her first album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit caught fire in the indie rock world. Its lead singles “Pedestrian at Best” and “Elevator Operator” are the best encapsulations of what makes her approach so fresh. There really isn’t any posing or pretensions – it’s just her, and she’s welcome.

Barnett’s 2018 sophomore follow-up, Tell Me How You Really Feel, didn’t hit with quite the same immediacy as Sometimes I Sit, but it was still a worthy continuation of her approach. Her meandering (some might say aimless) collaboration with fellow guitar-based wanderer Kurt Vile, entitled Lotta Sea Lice, was a better idea than execution, but it still contains moments of blissed-out slacker revelation.

Barnett’s proper third album, the brand new Things Take Time, Take Time, was written both before and during the pandemic lockdown, and you can feel a bit of that insular feeling in the music. With a couple expectations, all of the songs are mid-to-low tempo, with not nearly as much distortion as her fuzzy debut. The production is the most subdued as well. There’s not much adornment or overdubs here – most of the tracks feature just her voice, guitar, base, and a drum machine.

Many of the advanced reviews I read bemoaned Things Take Time’s mellow mood. They said it lacked traction, simmered where it should boil, and generally gave the hint that the songwriter was running on fumes. With the relatively decreasing quality of her output, I was ready to believe it. So as I lay in bed yesterday home from work with a cold, I put it on in the late morning to give me appropriately blue music.

Imagine my pleasant surprise then, when I found those critics to be completely off base. The listening session was exactly what I needed, and went a long way in making me feel a bit better. Yes, the songs are overall more subdued in volume, but they are filled with energy, malleable hooks, and a consistent outlook that puts this one head and shoulders over Tell Me How You Really Feel.

Opener “Rae Street” is thus far my least favorite track on the record. It’s not bad, but comes in so unassumingly that it’s over before you know what’s going on. But things kick into gear with “Sunfair Sundown,” and “Here’s the Thing,” a heart-wrenching confession of one’s feelings to another. “Take It Day by Day” is a cool track that builds from just Barnett’s voice, bass, and a drum machine to the best guitar workout on the album. “Write a List of Things to Look Forward To” is perfect pandemic advice that betrays just how relatable Courtney Barnett is to her target audience (i.e., me).

So, contrary to what others seem to say, Courtney Barnett turned in a focused (a concise-for-her 33:58), and tonally consistent release about reaching to connect with others despite one’s own internal misgivings. It’s about not knowing how things will turn but moving forward with your head up anyway. Things don’t always work out well – the songs are equally sad and cautiously optimistic, but you get the sense that, as the title hints, things will work out if you give it time and are true to yourself. Clearly, Barnett follows her own advice. While I would have liked perhaps a couple more upbeat numbers to pad out the track list, ultimately this is a good album, and I’m excited to continue to follow this outsider original from Down Under.

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