Photo by Danny Cohen
In June, Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett announced that a collaborative album would soon be on the way. Today, more details on the highly anticipated LP have been revealed as well as the lead single, “Over Everything”.
The record is called Lotta Sea Lice, sharing the name of their star-studded backing band, The Sea Lice. It boasts a handful of new songs such as “Continental Breakfast”, penned by Vile while vacationing in Hawaii, as well as covers of Belly (“Untogether”) and Jen Cloher (“Fear Is Like A Forest”), who Barnett is currently dating. Additionally, the two musicians covered each other: The Aussie native reworked Vile’s “Peeping Tomboy”, taken from his 2011 album, Smoke Ring for My Halo, while the Philly indie rocker reimagined Barnett’s 2013 song “Outta the Woodwork.”
“It started out as, maybe we’ll do a split 7-inch together but then I figured let’s make it a 12-ich so it doesn’t get lost in the world, shoot for five songs,” Vile previously said of the collaborative project. “It wasn’t until I had another KV tour booked for the following summer in Oz that we thought we should record as much as we can, just see what happens, no major goal to make it a full length, but it came together that way ’cause the vibe was so strong with everyone.”
Lotta Sea Lice is due out October 13th through Matadaor and is being previewed with “Over Everything”, a track that Vile began writing back in 2015. Check it out below via its Danny Cohen-directed music video, which sees both Vile and Barnett performing the song with swapped voices.
Vile’s last solo LP came with b’lieve i’m goin down in 2015; Barnett’s was Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit that same year. Both artists are said to be working on new solo releases as well.
Beginning in early October, Vile and Barnett will take their joint act on tour. They’ll be accompanied by The Sea Lice, which is comprised of Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Wild Flag), Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint), Katie Larkin (Sky Larkin), and Rob Laakso (The Violators).
Lotta Sea Lice Artwork:
Lotta Sea Lice Tracklist:
01. Over Everything
02. Let It Go
03. Fear Is Like a Forest
04. Outta the Woodwork
05. Continental Breakfast
06. On Script
07. Blue Cheese
08. Peepin’ Tom
09. Untogether
