Tell Courtney Barnett How You Really Feel

If the thought of ditching a social outing at the last minute makes you feel just fantastic, or perhaps you find yourself often wrecked with self-doubt, then Courtney Barnett’s music might be for you.

The Aussie rockstar has a knack for charming songs about the perils of anxiety and the horror and comedy of everyday tediousness, but rather them express her thoughts in quiet tones she blows them up to head-banging extremes. This is the kind of artist who screams “put me on a pedestal and I’ll only disappoint you!” in the middle of a chorus. Enough said.

But Barnett’s latest album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, is a reflection on those same themes, though one that enters arguably darker territory. “I’m not your mother, I’m not your bitch,” she declares bluntly on one song. “I wanna walk through the park in the dark, men are scared that women will laugh at them,” she sings in another, a riff on Margaret Atwood’s classic quote.

For Jezebel Quickies, she talks with us about writing music, starting her label Milk! Records, and why she’ll never be a reality TV star.

Producer: Kayra Clouden, Videographer: Santiago Garcia, Creative Producer: Joon Chung