Courtney Barnett Reveals Instrumental Album End of the Day, Fall Tour Dates

Aussie rocker Courtney Barnett is shaking up the music world both in the U.S. and abroad today with a duo of major announcements–first, the reveal of her upcoming instrumental album End of the Day, and simultaneously the upcoming closure of Melbourne-based Milk! Records, the indie record label she started as a 24 years old in 2012.

This is effectively the end of an era for Barnett, and also the beginning of a new, fertile creative grounds that will see her freed from the overhead of supervising things at Milk! Records. In just over a decade, the label put out 60 releases, including some of Barnett’s own, won two “best independent label” awards from the Australian Independent Record Labels Association, and made a deep impact in the creative flourishing of the Melbourne music scene. But it was also a draining pursuit for Barnett, spiritually, mentally and financially. Speaking with The Guardian, she said the following: “I’m still coming to terms with the end of it … But I’m letting go of that [guilt] feeling. It’s like that idea of looking after yourself so you can look after someone else. That reverse selfishness – you can’t love someone ‘til you love yourself – that kind of idea.”

End of the Day, meanwhile, is Courtney Barnett’s first instrumental record, an album made in conjunction with Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint. The compositions were originally created to score Danny Cohen’s 2021 documentary following Barnett on tour, Anonymous Club, but they became something more than that to the songwriter as she continued to listen to them over time. The label describes the album as “a meditative, slow-burning and beautiful record, prioritizing atmosphere, tone and texture over traditional song structures and melodic hooks. It’s a fearless and stunning turn for an artist who built her formidable reputation through profound lyricism and riff-based fireworks.”

Listeners can get an idea of Barnett’s bold new direction with the collection of tracks in the embedded video below, including “Start Somewhere,” “Life Balance” and “First Slow,” along with visual accompaniment of Barnett in the great outdoors.

Also announced: New Courtney Barnett tour dates in support of End of the Day, which will consist of intimate shows split into two distinct sets. At each show, Barnett and Stella Mozgawa will perform an initial set of instrumentals and improvisations from the Anonymous Club soundtrack, followed by a second set of more conventional tracks from Barnett’s ever-growing back catalog. Dates can be seen below.

Upcoming Courtney Barnett Tour Dates

October

11 – Brattleboro, VT @ Stone Church
12 – New York, NY @ National Sawdust
13 – New York, NY @ National Sawdust
14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Sanctuary First Unitarian Church
15 – Washington, DC @ Atlantis

November

3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge
4 – Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge