Courtney Barnett

Kurt?isthatyou!? We’re kidding, but our very own Courtney Barnett sure has the stoic sentiments and peppering passion of grunge greats gone by. Though Barnett’s music isn’t technically astonishing, sometimes it takes something a bit more stripped-back to expose the sensations of sound that a guitar is capable of. Cue Barnett.

Her brand of heart-on-sleeve indie-rock harkens back to some of those crushed velvet and plaid top attitudes of the ‘90s – “Nameless, Faceless”, for example, could have been on the soundtrack for Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

It’s the coolness of the naked noise she embraces on her instrument that really exposes not only the timbre, but the foundations of guitar playing.

Even screeching experimental solos as heard in “Need A Little Time” are minimalist (and, excitingly, just teetering on something resembling metal), yet retain a classicism of character not often heard these days. Analysing her music for more influences takes you back even further, to a point where you could argue that Barnet is channelling her inner Keith Richards, tracks like “Elevator Operator” good enough to sit alongside some of The Rolling Stones’ greatest hits.

Is there scope for Barnett to merge the sounds of the last four decades and shred in the future? Watch this space, but observe knowing that we have at least one artist right now who’s got enough wiggle room in her repertoire to shock and astound, should she decide to step into something a little more sinister.