Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time Review
‘Things Take Time, Take Time’ is a record everyone needed but no one would ask for it. In the post-pandemic rush, pressure to keep up with the, once again, too-fast paced everyday, we’re scared to stop.
Courtney Barnett’s new album title is self-explanatory, ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’. Three years since her last full-length project, ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’ Australian songwriter decided to descend from the bliss of a creative hideout. She comes back with the fruit of her recent introspections on inner and outer worlds. Be careful with it, it’s the gentlest of her creations and a real sensory artefact when consummated in the right surroundings. Far away from the everyday humdrum and preferable in a peace and quiet of four cosy walls. Courtney knows that happiness can be shy in big crowds.
‘In the morning I’m slow, I drag a chair over to the window and watch what’s going on, the garbage truck tiptoes along the road’, manifests the opening line of ‘Rae Street’, one of the most captivating and charming compositions of the album. Inspired by never-ending lockdowns and the surge of suffering in 2020, Courtney sets the tone for the whole record, inviting us to take a step back. To allow ourselves to welcome and process any fleeting thoughts. Forget about money, it’s no man’s friend, the singer warns. ‘Thing Take Time, Take Time’ celebrates the beauty of simple moments. It catches them in a flight like a child would a butterfly and after observing it for a second, in astonishment, sets it free. Barnett understands the human need for another body’s warmth and delicacies of romance. ‘Here’s The Thing’ and ‘Before You Gotta Go’ wrap us in soft guitar sounds. The surrender is sweet. ‘Take It Day by Day’ is a Barnett’s style, tongue-in-cheek motivation slap on the ‘Avant Gardener’ energy level and a wakeup call from the few tracks long daydream. Though we easily slip back into the submission on ‘If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight’, stunningly honest love confession, ‘I got feelings too/And I try my best to hide them/But I don't want to hide anything from you’. ‘Splendour’ enters the affection dialogue, mourning over the disappearing spark in a laid-back, groovy manner. Courtney returns to the shadows on ‘Oh The Night’, a tender apology for taking it slow, but also owning to the process, directed to an anonymous witness of her soul-pouring. Singer’s enchanting vocals combined with the drowsy drums make us believe that it’s actually all good. We’ve got it.
‘Things Take Time, Take Time’ is a record everyone needed but no one would ask for it. Overwhelmed by the post-pandemic rush, pressure to keep up with the, once again, too-fast paced everyday, we’re scared to stop. In a ‘eat or be eaten’ reality, ruled by the money obsession and craze for five minutes of fame or success, Courtney Barnett makes a conscious decision to remove herself from the spotlight. We count simple blessing with her. By the candlelight.