Courting – New Last Name
Although Courting embrace noisy new instrumentation on New Last Name, making it fun and energetic, it sadly fails to match the impact and charm of their debut
Courting quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting live bands in the UK following the release of their debut album Guitar Music. With their second offering, New Last Name, the Liverpool band break free from the confines of the post-punk genre they’re known for, and firmly establish themselves in high-energy pop-rock territory.
There are some massive, arena-sized songs throughout the album, like opener Throw and the brass-tinged noise of The Hills, which they combine with The 1975-style autotune that they began to experiment with on their debut. However, reaching Emily G and Happy Endings, the novelty of this style starts to feel repetitive.
New Last Name is compelling in how it moves on from the post-punk elements of their previous music to embrace noisy new instrumentation, electronic embellishments and light-hearted pop. While this is an exciting new style for the band, the album could have benefited from more of the stripped-back moments that we hear in the likes of America. In the opening and closing songs of the album, we’re reminded why Courting are such a captivating band but New Last Name, while fun and energetic, sadly fails to match the impact and charm of their debut.
Listen to: Throw, The Hills, America