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Description
Courtney Barnett's *Tell Me How You Really Feel* arrives as the Australian slacker-rocker's sophomore full-length, a testament to her evolution from barroom troubadour to bona fide critical darling. The album, released in May 2018, was cut over three weeks at Melbourne's Soundpark Studios in the latter half of 2017, then mixed at The Grove Studios before landing in listeners' hands. Barnett, working alongside producers Burke Reid and Dan Luscombe, delivers her signature deadpan delivery against minimalist arrangements that favor atmosphere over aggression-a deliberate move away from the lo-fi punk of her self-released debut.
The record's title track, "Crippling Self-Doubt And A General Lack Of Confidence," lays bare the album's thematic through-line: a sardonic examination of modern ennui, relationship dysfunction, and the exhausting business of maintaining composure while falling apart. Barnett's lyrics are sparse, conversational, and disarmingly direct. She's not trying to impress; she's documenting the quiet desperation of twenty-something existence in the modern age. Track after track, she cuts through pretension with surgical precision, turning observations about loneliness, social anxiety, and performative normalcy into something quietly devastating.
Notable on the sessions: Kim Deal (The Breeders, X) provided guest vocals and guitar on "Nameless, Faceless" and "Crippling Self-Doubt And A General Lack Of Confidence," a rare feature that signals Barnett's rising prestige without overshadowing her own voice. Barnett also handles all songwriting duties, while Bones Sloane on bass and Dave Mudie on drums provide rhythmic support without cluttering the sonic space.
The album finds Barnett at a pivotal juncture-post-Australia's live show explosion, pre-global streaming saturation-capturing a moment before her indie credentials were cemented. What's remarkable is how she maintains her working-class authenticity while being courted by the very indie machinery that typically hollows out local scenes.
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- [Courtney Barnett - AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/courtney-barnett-mn0002802550)
- [Tell Me How You Really Feel - Bandcamp](https://courtneybarnett.bandcamp.com/album/tell-me-how-you-really-feel)
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