Australian sage Courtney Barnett gives us a taste of her forthcoming LP, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit with the brazen single ‘Pedestrian At Best’. Laden with curious contradictions and insecure rambles, Barnett showcases self-consciousness that’s flooding her psyche.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-nr1nNC3ds?rel=0]
Deadpan vocals seem to juxtapose the timorous lyrics. Steady riffing and a cannonade of power-chords bring Barnett’s aloofness into question. However, her confidence restores and triggers a stoical chorus. While assuring that she’ll “exploit you”, her previous promise is not one she’ll be keeping, as Barnett certainly does not leave us feeling disappointed.
The track ends as the wittily vexed, and possibly best, lyric of the young year echoes out: “I think you’re a joke, but I don’t find you very funny.”
Words by Alicia Carpenter