Courting share new single ‘Pause At You’ ahead of album launch
Courting by Charlie Barclay Harris
Selected press for Courting:
“Few – if any – other young British guitar acts are currently making music as unhinged as this.” - NME
“A band to be cherished.” - Dork ★★★★★
“Courting transform observations from our bizarre reality into vivid storytelling and ambitious song structure, all in an effort to push pop further into the future.” - Pitchfork
“The ambition on show is admirable. They stand as testament to the fearlessness of young bands who would have previously been penned in to one sound or style and can now have the space to do whatever they please.” - Rolling Stone UK
“Set to be the next big thing.” - DIY
“New Last Name sees Courting lean further into their absurd selves.” - The Line Of Best Fit
"Massive, arena-sized songs." - The Skinny
Liverpool’s Courting are back today, announcing their third album, Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’, will be landing 14th March 2024 via Lower Third.
Less than a year after their second record New Last Name, Courting return with a leaner, sharper sound, while solidifying their mischievous genre-blending reputation with eight meticulously crafted tracks that balance an infectious pop sensibility with intense, playful experimentation.
After exploring the grand theatrical style of New Last Name, this new album marks a shift toward a stripped-back, direct approach. “We wanted to keep everything incredibly direct - to hit everyone in the face and leave,” explains vocalist Sean Murphy-O’Neill. Yet despite its immediacy, the album retains the band’s characteristic wit, loaded with hidden references, in-jokes, and musical Easter eggs that reflect a true blend of fun and sophistication.
The band also share a lead single today, the infectious ‘Pause At You’, paired to a visualiser directed by Charlie Barclay Harris.
Speaking on the first single Murphy-O’Neill said, "Pause at You is a culmination of everything we’ve been working on over the last few years - an observation on night time paranoia mixed about with night out ecstasy. Light outing, floor filling, tie undressing, rock."
Listen to ‘Pause At You’ here
Watch the visualiser for ‘Pause At You’ here
Courting have just finished a successful first-ever run of US shows with Vundabar and will play their debut New York headline show tonight before finishing the year with three headlining dates across the Netherlands. Courting, today, also announces a 9-day run of UK shows starting on March 15th in Leeds' Belgrave Music Hall and ending on April 9th at Hackney's Oslo.
Full dates for the UK tour are below and tickets will be available here on Friday 22nd Nov at 10am GMT.
15th March - Leeds - Dark Arts at Belgrave Music Hall
31st March - Newcastle, The Grove
1st April - Glasgow - SWG3 (Warehouse)
3rd April - Nottingham - The Bodega
4th April - Manchester - Gorilla
5th April - Sheffield - Yellow Arch Studio
7th April - Bristol - Thekla
8th April - Birmingham - Mama Roux's
9th April - London - Oslo
More on Courting:
Now on course for three albums and one EP in just three short years, Courting have proven themselves to be a unique force in the UK indie landscape. With Lust for Life, the band pushes their ironically divisive blend of indie, hyperpop, and experimental rock to new heights. Murphy-O’Neill describes the album as a “real culmination of everything we’ve done.” - a precise yet genre-defying work, with each track feeding into a complete, collage-like vision of the band’s influences and ambitions. “‘Lust for Life’ is such a great title,” says Murphy-O’Neill. “It’s used so often because it means so much. Ours is as much Iggy Pop as it is Lana Del Rey. Everything we do is like a collage.”
While their second album, New Last Name, leaned into the idea of a sprawling, theatrical narrative, this time, Courting wanted a more straightforward structure. “I was bored of overthinking,” Murphy-O’Neill admits. “This album is what it is - something immediate, no excess.” Despite this, the album retains a surprising amount of symmetry and conceptual depth. Murphy-O’Neill explains, “Two titles, artwork in two colours, which features two figures, and has eight tracks, all set up with a twin structure. The opening track, is mirrored by the closer, ‘Likely place,’ with the same looping motif played first with strings, then with a sharp electric guitar buzz.”
With Lust for Life, Courting deliver a blend of crowd-pleasing anthems and bold electronic experimentation. From the edgy, rave-like energy of ‘Stealth Rollback’ to the dance-punk groove of ‘Pause at You’ and the pop-leaning melodies of ‘Eleven Sent (This Time),’ Courting move seamlessly between soundscapes. The two-part epic title track, ‘Lust for Life,’ takes the band’s sonic ambitions even further, with an eerie, sparse opening that transforms into a pulse-pounding closer. Murphy-O’Neill explains, “It’s about a credit card scam—it sounds silly, but there’s something really touching about it.”
Courting have firmly established their reputation as one of the UK’s most inventive indie bands. Murphy-O’Neill reflects, “We’ve hit expectations but also subverted them. It does feel like an end to something, but I'm not really sure what. It’s like everything we’ve done so far has culminated in this album.”
Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’ is out 14th March 2024 via Lower Third
Pre-Order / Save here
Courting
Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’
Out March 14th via Lower Third
Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Stealth Rollback
3. Pause At You
4. Namcy
5. Eleven Sent (This Time)
6. After You
7. Lust For Life
8. Likely Place
Courting are:
Sean Murphy-O’Neill (Guitar/Vocals)
Sean Thomas (Drums/Vocals)
Josh Cope (Guitar)
Connor McCann (Bass)
