Courtney Barnett, bassist Bones Sloane and drummer Dave Mudie let loose in live performances of “Everybody Here Hates You” and “Small Talk” in two new videos recorded for Vevo Originals. The relaxed setting showcases the band’s camaraderie and feels delightfully like sitting in and watching an unfolding jam session.
The self-deprecating “Everybody Here Hates You,” which was recorded on break during her tour in support of last year’s Tell Me How You Really Feel, begins with a confession. “I feel stupid, I feel useless, I feel insane,” Barnett sings, before a harmonized repeated affirmation of “We’re gonna tell everyone it’s OK” and a chorus confirms the realization that many people feel the same anxiety.
The grooving opening rhythms of “Small Talk” are met with Barnett’s flirty guitar flits in the new clip. The singer smiles as a lyrical conversation unfolds, the kind where nervous banter serves to disguise first blush crush emotions. “Can I get you anything?” she asks. “A soda, Campari with lemon? Well, you got it.” Later she confesses, “But you see, all this small talk is killing me, yeah/I’m waiting here for you/I’m waiting here for you/I’m looking ‘cross the room and hoping that you’re looking, too.” The song was culled while making sophomore LP Tell Me How You Really Feel but didn’t make it onto the album.