Courtney Barnett has unveiled her MTV Australia Unplugged Live in Melbourne album via stream. The physical album will be released on February 21st and is available for pre-order. The performance, which was filmed in October at Howler in her hometown of Melbourne, spans covers and songs from her catalog as well as her original new song, “Untitled (Play it on Repeat).”
Backed by bandmates Dave Mudie and Bones Sloane, her intimate, stripped-down performance also features cellist Lucy Waldron. Guest collaborators include Paul Kelly, Marlon Williams and Evelyn Ida Morris.
For her new song, Barnett appears solo on acoustic guitar. Over a melancholic melody, she emotively sings the vulnerable lyrics. “Every day I wake/Hope it’s a mistake/Wish I could go back to dreaming/Everything I make/trying not to break/Going round and round in circles,” she wistfully sings. “Tell me, would you even know?/Would you even care if you never see me again?”
“I love playing to Melbourne crowds… I wanted to have a mixture of old songs, new songs and covers, and tracks that we don’t perform all the time — it’s been interesting to see the songs through a different filter,” Barnett said in a statement. “And it brings out this other emotional side to the music and the lyrics.”
MTV Australia Unplugged Live in Melbourne Track List
1. “Depreston”
2. “Sunday Roast”
3. “Charcoal Lane” featuring Paul Kelly — written by Archie Roach
4. “Avant Gardener”
5. “Nameless, Faceless” featuring Evelyn Ida Morris
6. “Untitled (Play it on Repeat)”
7. “Not Only I” featuring Marlon Williams — written by Seeker Lover Keeper
8. “So Long, Marianne” — written by Leonard Cohen