For the first time in nearly four years, Courtney Barnett has released a new single.
“Stay In Your Lane” is Barnett at her most funky and defiant, as the Australian singer seeks both a sense of release (“Gotta get this off my chest”) while damning her need for something new (“This never would’ve happened if I stayed in my lane, stayed the same way”). Check out the Alex Ross Perry-directed music video below, which makes One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest look like a day at the park. The single’s art follows.
As mentioned, “Stay In Your Lane” is Barnett’s first new song since 2021’s excellent Things Take Time, Take Time. (She also surprise-released an instrumental record, End of the Day, back in September 2023.) A press release noted that Barnett has also been “road-testing new music at a series of intimate shows,” including gigs at California’s Joshua Tree and New York’s Levon Helm Studios.
Barnett has proven to be decidedly quiet in recent years. In 2023, she closed down her label, Milk! Records after over a decade. (The move came due to “persistent financial concerns” spurred on by COVID-19 restrictions across Australia.) Beyond that, Barnett has played a smattering of concerts and festival gigs, including the Flaming Lips-curated Psychic Salamander Festival and the G*ve a F*ck LA wildfire benefit concert. She also contributed to a Neil Young covers record released this past February.
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Stay tuned for any additional news/announcements on what would be Barnett’s fourth studio record. In the meantime, you see her perform “Stay In Your Lane” live when she appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, October 22nd.
