Today (July 11), Courtney Barnett has announced the release of her new album, ‘End of the Day’. Coupled with the announcement is the news that Barnett will close Milk! Records, the label she founded in 2012 at the age of 24.
‘End of the Day’ marks a turn for Barnett. Famed for her straight talking delivery, lyrical wordplay and muscular guitar, Barnett’s new album is built from 17 meditative improvisational tracks. The album’s tracks were originally recorded as score for the documentary Anonymous Club – a portrait of Barnett by Melbourne/Naarm-based director Danny Cohen that was three years in the making.
The album isn’t a direct facsimile of the film’s score. A year on from composing the music with Stella Mozgawa, the Australian drummer of Warpaint, Barnett chose to revisit the recordings. She stitched those pieces into the flowing final form of ‘End of the Day’.
The album’s first three tracks ‘Start Somewhere’, ‘Life Balance’ and ‘First Slow’ are available now on streaming services. The suite of tracks have been grouped into a video directed by film-maker Claire Marie Vogel, featuring Barnett walking along a mist-shrouded bush track.
‘End of the Day’ is Barnett’s first instrumental record and the final release for Milk! Records. The album is due for release on September 8.
Originally founded to release Courtney Barnett’s debut EP, ‘I’ve Got a Friend called Emily Ferris’, Milk! Records went on to release over 70 albums, compilations and collaborations under the guidance of Barnett and Jen Cloher, including Cloher’s recent album, ‘I Am the River, the River Is Me’. Dozens of artists found a home at the label including Liz Stringer, Hachiku, East Brunswick All Girls Choir, Tiny Ruins, Hand Habits, Sleater-Kinney and more. Barnett’s debut album on the label won four ARIA awards and the Australian Music Prize, and was nominated for both Grammy and Brit awards.
From its street-front home in the northern Naarm/Melbourne suburb of Coburg, Milk! Records became a community hub for the city’s indie-rock musicians and will leave an indelible mark on its music scene. Milk! Records declined to speak with NME regarding the news.
In a statement Courtney Barnett said: “It has been one of the great honours of my life to be a part of this incredible community and to work alongside so many amazing artists. Thank you to every single person who has been part of the Milk! Records journey, it wouldn’t be the same without you.”
In a separate Instagram post, Milk! Records wrote: “We are so grateful for the last decade of love and support, and we are super proud of all the amazing music we’ve had the honour to be a part of releasing.”
Milk! Records will close at the end of 2023.
The tracklist for ‘End of the Day’ is:
- ‘Start Somewhere’
- ‘Life Balance’
- ‘First Slow’
- ‘A to B’
- ‘(Electricity)’
- ‘Two Circles Reflecting’
- ‘End of the Day’
- ‘Floating Down’
- ‘Spring Ascends’
- ‘Intro’
- ‘B to C’
- ‘Like Water’
- ‘Gold Room’
- ‘Sun Through’
- ‘River’
- ‘Get On With It’
- ‘Eternity Repeat’
