We gotta get out out of this place…
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[6.57]
Alfred Soto: An amiable tour of the open road, radio on, going faster miles an hour, accompanied by good friends playing better licks.
[6]
Ryo Miyauchi: Sure, the romance of the open road isn’t the most original subject for a rock song. But The Courtneys’ peers on the indie-rock front recently have been exploring how tour life actually really sucks, or, in other cases, how it’s a fight to keep the fire going. The Courtneys still seem to find the whole lifestyle fun, a genuine form of escape even. Their enthusiasm translates through their gleeful, jangling rock, and it’s an energy that I could use more of.
[6]
Katherine St Asaph: Naming convention from the Donnas, subject matter from Tuscadero (past song subjects: 90210 and Keanu Reeves), petulant-exuberant vocals and riffs from early Colleen Green or the Dilettantes. I will never tire of, and never exhaust, the ecosystem of songs just like this.
[7]
Josh Love: I really love how clean and melodic the riffs sound here; it’s a harder feat to achieve than it sounds, and it puts The Courtneys in league with the likes of Parquet Courts, Cloud Nothings, and Yuck in that respect. I do wish the vocals were a little more distinctive, however. They’re still one Courtney short — might I recommend Barnett?
[6]
Rebecca A. Gowns: I love Flying Nun Records, and I’m glad that they’re still actively supporting fringe garage acts who specialize in this warm fuzzy sound. The reverb on a trio like this is crucial, filling out the speaker output like nougat in a simple chocolate candy bar. It’s got a driving beat, fun guitar parts, and the vocals are expressive but no-frills. Wonderful little single.
[8]
Tim de Reuse: High-energy, hypnotic kraut-pop about the open road scratches a particular itch for me, and this efficiently ticks every box required to elicit the dull, summery daze it’s going for. The vocals are the only aspect that bother me; they stick out in an ugly way from the pleasant electric crunch, too layered and smooth to find a slot in the mix, and the already-iffy line “The sun, it gets higher, higher” is not done any favors by its awkward, flow-breaking position in the measure.
[7]
Micha Cavaseno: Motherfuckers out here making songs about their tour, but listening to indie bands feels like a military tour where every year you have to endure sonic assaults from new faces firing the same old guns. I kid, and the truth is, The Courtneys have a Go-Gos meet Shonen Knife distorted perk that bounces, but doesn’t have any real bounce to it. Everybody making music so slight, then trying to tell you how nourishment is overrated in the face of sugary sweetness. Sorry, I’m not biting.
[6]