Label: Milk! Records / Mom+Pop
Released: 8th September 2023
An unlikely salt-of-the-earth instrumental delight from Courtney Barnett. While it is always a pleasure to hear her easy-going, drawling vocals, ‘End Of The Day’ holds its own as it drifts through 17 beautiful, lingering melodies.
Slow-paced, atmospheric and echoing, Barnett eases listeners into a meditative state, demanding they slow themselves down through opening tracks ‘Start Somewhere’ and ‘Life Balance’. Moving seamlessly into ‘First Slow’, a minimal, improvisational sound fills the air as plucked guitar strings rise and fall like breath leaving and returning to the body.
This aware yet relaxed state persists throughout the album, safe within the soapy suds of a warm sound bath. The pace can sometimes lack excitement, but there’s a sense of quiet enjoyment throughout; a beautifully serene audioscape that feels intimate and heartfelt. While ‘End Of The Day’ lacks some of the oomph we have come to rely on Barnett for, it’s the perfect soundtrack to an early morning walk through the woods; this is music to get lost to.
