Reviews
"3 Albums 3 Years": Courting Kicks Off Their New Album With Single "Pause at You"
Ev Fuss · November 25, 2024 · 2 minutes
British electronic-rock band Courting surprised fans on Wednesday,  November 20, with the new single “Pause at You.” This also happened to be the day of their last show in the U.S. for the year, where they headlined Zone One in New York City.  The show was their first headlining one in the U.S., as they had just wrapped a tour opening for Vundabar. From Liverpool, the band consists of vocalist Sean Murphy-O'Neill, drummer Sean Thomas, guitarist Joshua Cope, and bassist Connor McCann. The group released their second album New Last Name in late-January 2024, and began teasing a new project just nine months later. On September 25, the band tweeted “ALBUM DONE” followed by “3 ALBUMS 3 YEARS AND NOTHING LESS.” These were constantly retweeted, often accompanied by the phrase “LUST FOR LIFE.” An acronym also appeared on the band's website, “LFL O HTTTNACOTOSTTTS.” Following the release of “Pause at You,” the band announced that their third album, Lust For Life, Or: “How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story,” will be released on March 14, 2025. The album will consist of eight tracks and will be celebrated with a nine-stop UK tour, kicking-off the day after its release in Leeds. “Pause at You” itself is an upbeat, catchy track. The song leans more into pop-rock than their typical style, but still has a strong lead and rhythm guitar parts which is reminiscent of U.K. post-punk revival. Courting has been pulled into this genre before, though it typically shows more in their live performances than in their recorded albums. While the songs lyrics are a bit obscure (as seen in much of their discography), they tell a story of high-energy partying in the city, and finding a love that may not work out. These lyrics, along with the retro-dance vibes of the song, feel like a nod to the current indie-sleaze revival. Courting also made a music video for the single's release, which Charlie Barclay Harris directed.Lust For Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story, can be pre-saved here.Keep up with Courting and their future releases here.