Courtney Barnett Previews 'Creature of Habit' (Listening Party)

Summary

All Of It with Alison Stewart

"Courtney Barnett Previews 'Creature of Habit' (Listening Party)"

Original Air Date: March 4, 2026
Guest: Courtney Barnett
Host: Alison Stewart

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Episode Overview

This episode of "All Of It" dives into the creative process and inspirations behind Australian musician Courtney Barnett's forthcoming fourth album, Creature of Habit. Having relocated from Melbourne to Los Angeles, and spent a transformative year in Joshua Tree, Courtney discusses the personal changes, environmental influences, and artistic decisions that shaped her new work. The show includes exclusive previews of four tracks and candid reflections on her journey, featuring topics such as artistic solitude, Georgia O’Keeffe’s inspiration, the complexities of running (and closing) an indie label, and collaborative creativity.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Courtney’s Move to the U.S. and Life Changes

• Reason for Moving:
  • Courtney explains her relocation was motivated by a desire for change rather than a concrete reason.

    “I think I get asked that a lot and I don't really know. I think I just wanted a change in my life and.”
    — Courtney Barnett [02:59]

• Processing the Transition:
  • She spent nearly three years writing and recording the album, only realizing in retrospect how it mirrored her personal journey.

    “Sometimes you don't fully realize what you're going through until you look back at the work you've done... I think I'm probably still processing it, but it's been... a big life change.”
    — Courtney Barnett [03:08]

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Joshua Tree and the Power of Place

• Significance of Joshua Tree:
  • Barnett describes Joshua Tree as a long-held dream, offering space and solitude conducive to creativity.

    “…I’ve always loved it. And in the back of my head, I was always thinking, I'd love to live here at some point... Just do it. Just give it a go. Otherwise, you’re forever going to be thinking about, you know, the thing you wanted to do but you never did. So I did it.”
    — Courtney Barnett [03:43]

• Making Noise Literally and Creatively:
  • Moving from a “smaller and quiet” apartment in Melbourne to the physically and emotionally expansive desert, Courtney found freedom to create both loudly and liberally.

    “…This album feels the exact opposite [of the last one]. It was in the desert. It was loud... Just like a wider kind of feeling and sound.”
    — Courtney Barnett [04:43]

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Songwriting and Cathartic Creation

• On Expressive Freedom:
  • The ability to "make noise" helped Courtney find release and catharsis in her work.

    “When you sing really loudly or make a lot of noise, I feel like it's a... can feel quite cathartic and like a release, you know... like a kind of shedding in some way.”
    — Courtney Barnett [05:31]

• Host’s Paraphrase:
  • Alison Stewart: “Yeah, it’s like when you scream, you feel better after.”
    — [05:57]

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Track 1: "Stay in Your Lane" [01:45]

• The episode opens with the album’s lead single, reflecting on burnout and self-awareness.

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Track 2: "Mantis" and Signs from the Universe

• Origin Story:
  • Barnett tells the story of finishing “Mantis” after a meaningful encounter with a praying mantis during a period of writer’s block.

    “I looked up and saw this little praying mantis on my door frame... It felt a little like a sign from the universe... So I kind of stood there and spoke to the praying mantis... and then I finished the song.”
    — Courtney Barnett [06:09]

• On Conversing with the Mantis:
  • She describes the interaction as both literal and symbolic.

    “Just kind of welcoming it into the house... And then I... asked for guidance.”
    — Courtney Barnett [07:02]

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[LISTEN]

"Mantis" Played [08:00–09:09]

• Lyrics explore searching, existential reflection, and fleeting moments of meaning.
• Standout lyric:

  “Praying mantis on my door / Looking for meaning or just any sign at all”
  — Courtney Barnett [08:00]

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Visual and Artistic Influences: Georgia O’Keeffe

• Discovery and Inspiration:
  • Barnett discusses Georgia O’Keeffe’s biography, work, and even cookbooks as touchstones during album creation.

    “Suddenly I had 10 kind of Georgia O’Keeffe books on my coffee table... I just felt really inspired by her as an artist, the way she lived her life as an artist.”
    — Courtney Barnett [09:28]

• Visiting Ghost Ranch:
  • She shares a reverent account of touring O’Keeffe’s beautifully curated, simple home, emphasizing its inspirational design.

    “Everything was really simple and had a place, but... everything was just beautiful.”
    — Courtney Barnett [10:49]

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Track 3: "Sight Unseen" featuring Waxahatchee

• Collaboration Spotlight:
  • The song features Waxahatchee (Katie Crutchfield), adding her voice to the album's emotional textures.

    “This features Waxahatchee, who's a songwriter that I really love.”
    — Courtney Barnett [11:20]

• Song Themes:
  • The song explores self-sabotage, letting go, and seeking new beginnings.

    “Always getting in my own way / Is it too late for making any changes...”
    — Courtney Barnett [11:34]

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Independent Label Life: Running and Concluding Milk Records

• Background:
  • Milk Records was Courtney’s indie label for 13 years, mainly representing her and others in Australia and New Zealand.

    “It started just me releasing my first EP in my bedroom and I would get an order through... walk it to the post office. That was how the label began.”
    — Courtney Barnett [13:32]

• On Closing Milk Records:
  • She describes the bittersweet decision, its growth from DIY to a community hub, and the relief of now focusing fully on creative work.

    “It was really hard and sad... but I wanted to give my full self... I realized I was kind of splitting my... time and thoughts.”
    — Courtney Barnett [13:31]

  • “It grew into something really beautiful... but also really terrifying...”
    — Courtney Barnett [13:32]

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Track 4: "Sugar Plum" [14:58]

• The episode ends with this track, at Courtney’s request, without an introduction.

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Notable Quotes

• “I think I just wanted a change in my life... I'm probably still processing it, but it's been... a big life change.”
  — Courtney Barnett [03:08]

• “It was in the desert. It was loud... Just like a wider kind of feeling and sound.”
  — Courtney Barnett [04:43]

• “There's something in that feeling... when you sing really loudly or make a lot of noise... quite cathartic and like a release... like a kind of shedding.”
  — Courtney Barnett [05:31]

• “I looked up and saw this little praying mantis on my door frame... It felt... like a sign from the universe...”
  — Courtney Barnett [06:09]

• “I just felt really inspired by [Georgia O’Keeffe] as an artist, the way she kind of lived her life as an artist.”
  — Courtney Barnett [09:28]

• “It grew into something really beautiful... and also really terrifying at the same time when you’re figuring out what you’re doing as you’re going.”
  — Courtney Barnett [13:32]

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Key Timestamps

• 02:23 – Courtney’s biographical update and context for album creation
• 03:43 – Reflections on Joshua Tree as creative haven
• 05:31 – The importance of making noise in songwriting
• 06:09 – The story behind "Mantis" and its cosmic significance
• 09:28 – Georgia O’Keeffe’s influence and the value of artistic models
• 11:20 – About the Waxahatchee collaboration on "Sight Unseen"
• 12:29 – Discussion of Milk Records and creative freedom
• 14:58 – Closing track: "Sugar Plum"

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Memorable Moments

• The conversation with a praying mantis becomes a metaphor for seeking signs and guidance in both art and life.
• From lonely, cramped lockdown in Melbourne to the sonic expansiveness of Joshua Tree, the places shape the sound.
• The grassroots story of Milk Records, highlighting the joys and anxieties of building a DIY music community.
• Collaborative spirit, as reflected in the partnership with Waxahatchee and influences from pioneering women artists.

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This episode offers a candid, relatable, and immersive look into the life, challenges, and artistry of Courtney Barnett as she enters her newest chapter with Creature of Habit. For fans and newcomers alike, it’s a rich blend of musical preview and personal narrative, with Barnett’s wit and creative openness shining throughout.

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My next guest, Australian musician Courtney Barnett, will release her fourth album this month. Here's the lead single, Stay in youn Lane.

[Courtney Barnett (singing)]

I know you're trying to help me I know you're trying to help me I know you're trying to help me Feels like I'm going backwards each day I preach my practice and still it seems I wasn't ready.

[Alison Stewart]

Did I listen to that on the way to work? Yes, I did. Since the release of her last album in 2021, Courtney Barnett has moved to the U.S. now she's an LA resident. She created her new album during a year in Joshua Tree and tapping into the album is titled Creature of Habit and it comes out on March 27th. Courtney Barnett will be playing at the King's Theater on May 9. But first, she's here in our studio with me now for a listening party. Nice to see you.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Hi. Nice to be here.

[Alison Stewart]

So you made this album after moving to the States. What prompted your personal move?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

I think I get asked that a lot and I don't really know. I think I just wanted a change in my life and.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, what's the transition Been like, I.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

I mean, I guess, you know, I wrote this album and I spent nearly three years or something writing it and recording it and working on it. And I think, you know, sometimes you don't fully realize what you're going through until you look back at the work you've done or whatever it is. So. So I think I'm probably still processing it, but it's been. It's been nice and just a big life change.

[Alison Stewart]

You know, everybody keeps saying, oh, she recorded this in Joshua Tree. What does that mean to you when you. When someone says, oh, she recorded in Joshua Tree, and how do you fill in that sentence?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Well, I was. I was living out there for about a year, and I wrote a lot of the album out there, and. And Joshua Tree was just one of those places. When I first came to America in 2013, I. I. The first time I went out there, I really loved it, and I. And I went back often and had these little kind of nice, little kind of creative. Creative trips where I would write or make music, and I always loved it. And in the back of my head, I was always thinking, I'd love to live here at some point. So I think, you know, just after Covid, I was kind of just like, just do it. Just give it a go. And otherwise you're forever going to be thinking about, you know, the thing that you wanted to do, but you never did. So I did it.

[Alison Stewart]

So you went out to Joshua Tree, and you told the Guardian that you make a lot of noise when you're out there. Did you mean that literally?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Yeah. Yeah, because there was a little studio in the house, and I was maybe talking about it in comparison to my last album, Things Take Time, which I wrote in COVID lockdown in Melbourne in a very small apartment. And it was. You know, I always. It felt smaller and quiet and. And this album feels kind of like the exact opposite. It was in the desert. It was loud. It was, you know, arms open, just. Just like a wider kind of feeling and sound. And so I might have been referring to that. But, yes, I did make actual noise.

[Alison Stewart]

How did that help your songwriting to be able to make that kind of noise?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

I mean, there's something in that. There's something in that feeling kind of physically or energetically when you. When you sing really loudly or make a lot of noise, I feel like it's a. It can. It can feel quite cathartic and like a release, you know, in a way, and. Yeah, like a kind of shedding in some way.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, it's like when you scream, you feel better after.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen to another track from the album. We're going to listen to Mantis. Could you set this up for us?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Yeah. This song. Well, I remember finishing it in the desert. I was. I was. I'd written half the song and I. I was. It. I was kind of having some writer's block, and I was feeling a bit lost in the song, but also in life. There's a lot of that on this album. And I was about to start writing for the day. I was making a coffee, and I looked up and saw this little praying mantis on my door frame. And. And I just had this really beautiful moment. It felt a little bit like a sign from the universe or from someone. And. And. And it felt. It felt really important to me in that moment. And I. So I kind of stood there and spoke to the praying mantis for a while and. And just. Yeah, it felt. It felt really important. And then I. And then I finished the song.

[Alison Stewart]

What did you say to the praying mantis?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Like, hello, what's up? Yeah, yeah, I remember saying. Just kind of welcoming it into the house and telling it that it was safe and I wasn't gonna hurt it. And then. And then we just. I think I just kind of asked for guidance. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen to Mantis.

[Courtney Barnett (singing)]

Just got back today and I'm searching around the place Looking for you know who but there's no sign yet Singing autopilot day Shining ultraviolet rays on this dusty skeleton I feel a kin on a cosmic level I can see right through you yeah I can read your bones Just like a telephone book maybe I should give it up again Again I am exercising how good it feels to be alive and no surprises of my sleep Everything is temporary. Praying mantis on my door Looking for meaning or just any sign at all

[Alison Stewart]

that's Mantis by Courtney Barnett from her forthcoming album, Creature of Habit. I understand that Georgia o' Keeffe was a big inspiration for you. When did you discover Georgia o' Keeffe was going to be a part of this record?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Well, I think. I think when I was in the desert, I realized I. I started just accumulating all of these books about her, and suddenly, you know, Suddenly I had 10, 10 kind of Georgia O' Keeffe books on my coffee table. And. And I read a biography about her, and I think I just. That one of them was a cookbook. And. And, yeah, I just felt really inspired by her as a. As an artist, the way she kind of lived her Life as an artist. And yeah, it was kind of the. The backdrop in a way. Just. I don't know, I just. It felt like such a visual. A visual reminder of the album.

[Alison Stewart]

You should go up to the Met and see some of her work.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

It's pretty great.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

I went. I did this festival at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico where she lived and worked. Yeah. And we luckily at the last minute, got a tour of her house because there's a museum there as well. So if you're ever there. I really recommend it. It was really beautiful.

[Alison Stewart]

They kept.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

They kept it exactly how she. How she had it. Her house.

[Alison Stewart]

How would you describe how she kept her house?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Was just the really aesthetically beautiful. Like the design. It was really simple. Everything was really simple and had a place, but every. You know, everything. Everything was just beautiful. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. I've seen pictures of her studio, but I don't know if I've ever seen them of her house. That's amazing. Okay, put that on my to do list. Let's play another track. This is Sight Unseen. Who else does this feature? A musician?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Yeah. This features Waxahachie, who's a songwriter that I really love.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's list.

[Courtney Barnett (singing)]

Always getting in my own way Is it too late for making any changes Letting go of everything that might have been I know it seems a lot it's only for you. Sight unseen I promise this, babe let's figure out the rest of the day.

[Alison Stewart]

My guest is Courtney Barnett. Her new album is called Creature of Habit. This is going to be released on mom and Pop Records, right?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Correct.

[Alison Stewart]

And your last album was released on your independent label, Milk Records, you sense, decided to wind that down. What did you learn from Run? From having your own label?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Yeah, yeah. That label, I think it was running for about 13 years. And. And mom and Pop always released my records in America, but. But. But yeah, in Australia, New Zealand. Milk Records was. Was releasing them. And I mean, I. Wow. It was such a big. A really big part of my life. And it was really. It was. It was a really hard and sad process to kind of make the decision to close it down. But. I don't know. I feel like I learned so many lessons, but right now in this moment, how to verbalize them, I do not know.

[Alison Stewart]

Did it leave you more ruined? Be creative because you don't have to think about the bottom line in some ways.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Yeah. I mean, yeah, I think that's what I would.

[Alison Stewart]

That's what I would think.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Yeah, that. That was one of the main. You know, I realized I was kind of splitting my, yeah, my, my time and my thoughts and I wanted to kind of, I felt like I was giving half of myself to, to each part of my life and not, I kind of wanted to give my full self and my, and, and everything I had. So that was definitely part of it. And I think, you know, it started as such a small thing. It started just me releasing my first EP in my bedroom and, and I would get an order through on the, on the, on the computer and then I would get it off the shelf and walk it to the post office. And that was how the label began. So it was very, you know, it was very, very simple and small. And then, yeah, over the years it grew into something really beautiful. Grew into a bigger community of other artists, other, other musicians and you know, people started working for us and yeah, just. It grew into something bigger which is obviously great but also really, really kind of terrifying at the same time when you're figuring out what you're doing as you're going.

[Alison Stewart]

You have a new album coming out, Creature of Habit. It's coming out on March 27th. Courtney Barnett will be Brooklyn at King's Theater on May 9th. We're gonna go out on the song Sugar Plum. Do you wanna set it up or just play it?

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Just play it, I think. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Courtney, thanks for being with us.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Thank you very much.

[Courtney Barnett (singing)]

First thought, heard it all before.

[Courtney Barnett (speaking)]

Not gonna get far with an attitude like that.

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