SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
It is easy to say a change will do you good, but it is harder sometimes to actually make those changes.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONE THING AT A TIME")
COURTNEY BARNETT: (Singing) Some peace and quiet swimming in my mind. And oh, my God, I'm ready for a change.
DETROW: Change is central to the new album from Australian singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett. It's called "Creature Of Habit." It's out today, and here with more is Alisa Ali from member station WFUV, the best member station in all of public radio in New York. Hello.
ALISA ALI, BYLINE: (Laughter) Thank you so much, Scott. I appreciate that as an insider who used to work at WFUV.
DETROW: It's like a flashback to 2006, talking music with you right now.
BARNETT: So great to connect with you again, friend (laughter).
DETROW: We heard a lot about Courtney Barnett a few years back, a lot less since then. What kind of changes is she singing about?
ALI: Well, she's moved from Melbourne to LA. She closed her record label, Milk! Records, which she'd run for over a decade. And there - you know, there was also a documentary made about her that followed her while she was on tour and followed her writing process. And, you know, after watching that documentary, she didn't really like what she saw in herself and decided that she wanted to try and make some changes in her life and try to be kinder to herself.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MOSTLY PATIENT")
BARNETT: (Singing) Got your eyes on the prize like a bird looking for sunshine.
ALI: So she started some new things as a beginner - therapy, going to the gym, pottery, surfing - and eventually got herself back in the studio again. And she says that this album is about learning to get out of your own way.
DETROW: That's an interesting phrase. That can mean so many different things. What do you think she means by that?
ALI: I think she recognizes that she can be an indecisive person, and it takes her a long time to do things. Actually, the song "Site Unseen" is a little bit of a thesis statement that speaks to that. In it, she says she knows she's always getting in her own way, and indecision has never been much help to her.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SITE UNSEEN (FEAT. WAXAHATCHEE)")
BARNETT: (Singing) Questioning all the choices that I ever made, letting go of everything that might've been.
ALI: So she's really self-aware, and she's trying to kind of keep herself on task and make the conscious decision to just be more thoughtful and go for those bold ideas.
DETROW: Given all of that, what's the best way to think about how this record sounds, compared to previous albums?
ALI: I think this album sounds a little lighter in mood, more peaceful. There's a lot of joy on it. And it's a really expansive sound, like on the gorgeous closing track "Another Beautiful Day." She's got some great guitar solos that really just stretch out.
(SOUNDBITE OF COURTNEY BARNETT SONG, "ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY")
ALI: I mean, it's a sun-drenched desert sound, which makes sense since she recorded in Joshua Tree, and you really can hear that on this beautiful song. And she really stays true to her trademark wit and turns of phrases. And she's got this real deadpan delivery that we just love about her.
DETROW: So another question - you mentioned that she's known for, like, really witty songwriting. Is there a song where that really jumps out?
ALI: Yeah. I mean, she's got so many great lines on all of her records, but I think maybe "Sugar Plum" is a great example of that wit, where she refers to her sensitive heart. She says, I know I got a sensitive heart, I'm always picking it apart when I throw it to the vultures.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUGAR PLUM")
BARNETT: (Singing) They don't want it either. Probably too sincere. And up here...
ALI: I just think that is so funny and so Courtney Barnett.
DETROW: I like that. That is Alisa Ali from WFUV in New York. Courtney Barnett's new album is called "Creature Of Habit." You can hear about that and a whole bunch of other great releases on today's New Music Friday podcast from NPR Music. Thank you so much. It was good to catch up.
ALI: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SUGAR PLUM")
BARNETT: (Singing) In the deepest sea, or drowning in the kitchen sink. Either way it all feels like drowning. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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