Courting share “Namcy“
The final single towards album Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’ out 14th March via Lower Third
Tickets for March / April UK tour on sale now
Courting by Charlie Barclay Harris
Selected press for Courting:
“Few – if any – other young British guitar acts are currently making music as unhinged as this.” – NME
“A bit mad, but utterly compelling.” – Classic Rock
“Arguably one of the best indie-rock albums in recent memory” –
★★★★★ Dork
“Courting transform observations from our bizarre reality into vivid storytelling and ambitious song structure, all in an effort to push pop further into the future.” – Pitchfork
“The ambition on show is admirable. They stand as testament to the fearlessness of young bands who would have previously been penned in to one sound or style and can now have the space to do whatever they please.”
– Rolling Stone UK
“Set to be the next big thing.” – DIY
“New Last Name sees Courting lean further into their absurd selves.”
– The Line Of Best Fit
“Intelligent stuff.” – Louder Than War
“Massive, arena-sized songs.” – The Skinny
With just days to go until the release of their third album Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’, out this Friday via Lower Third, Courting unveil their third and final single of the album, “Namcy”.
Following on from “Pause At You” and “After You”, “Namcy” sees Courting at their most playful and piercing, drawing listeners into the headrush and infatuation of love at first sight, while underscoring the looming shadows of Lust for Life…’s dark overarching narrative. The track pulses with an optimistic, kinetic energy, its bouncy guitars and four on the floor disco rhythm section amplifying the song’s push-and-pull between wide-eyed devotion and inevitable disillusionment.
Listen to “Namcy” HERE
Lyrically, Murphy-O’Neill paints a vivid picture of an exciting, naïve new relationship, weaving in references from Bowie’s “Absolute Beginners” to the fleeting escapism of a “French Exit,” mirroring the album’s exploration of dreamy romance and reality colliding head-on.
Murphy-O’Neill spoke on the track here:“Namcy is designed to be very hopeful, a stark contrast to the edges of the album. It is straight set – a linear storyline with made up words. Sometimes, I think it’s important to put aside the need to be clever, and get lost in something a bit more nostalgic, slightly unrealistic,
very pretty.”
While a quintessentially Courting track, “Namcy” thrives on the dichotomy that runs deep within the DNA of Lust For Life… – hook-laden yet intricate, chaotic yet calculated, immediate yet rich in depth. As the final glimpse into Lust for Life…, it serves as a fitting bridge to the record’s full narrative, tying together its themes of love, longing, and the inevitable unravelling of idealised relationships.
Building on an incredible year that saw Courting release and tour their second album, New Last Name, play the main stage at Reading and Leeds, and complete their first U.S. tour – all while secretly crafting their third album -anticipation continues to build for Lust For Life Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’.
Pre-Order / Save Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’ HERE
Courting play their debut shows of 2025 beginning this Saturday with a headline performance at Dark Arts Festival at Leeds’ Belgrave Music Hall, then continuing with a full headline UK tour beginning in Newcastle on March 31st ending in London on April 9th.
Full dates for the UK tour are below and tickets are available here now.
15th March – Leeds – Dark Arts at Belgrave Music Hall
31st March – Newcastle, The Grove
1st April – Glasgow – SWG3 (Warehouse)
3rd April – Nottingham – The Bodega
4th April – Manchester – Gorilla
5th April – Sheffield – Yellow Arch Studio
7th April – Bristol – Thekla
8th April – Birmingham – Mama Roux’s
9th April – London – Oslo
More on Courting:
Now on course for three albums and one EP in just three short years, Courting have proven themselves to be a unique force in the UK indie landscape. With Lust for Life, the band pushes their ironically divisive blend of indie, hyperpop, and experimental rock to new heights. Murphy-O’Neill describes the album as a “real culmination of everything we’ve done.” – a precise yet genre-defying work, with each track feeding into a complete, collage-like vision of the band’s influences and ambitions. “‘Lust for Life’ is such a great title,” says Murphy-O’Neill. “It’s used so often because it means so much. Ours is as much Iggy Pop as it is Lana Del Rey. Everything we do is like a collage.”
While their second album, New Last Name, leaned into the idea of a sprawling, theatrical narrative, this time, Courting wanted a more straightforward structure. “I was bored of overthinking,” Murphy-O’Neill admits. “This album is what it is – something immediate, no excess.” Despite this, the album retains a surprising amount of symmetry and conceptual depth. Murphy-O’Neill explains, “Two titles, artwork in two colours, which features two figures, and has eight tracks, all set up with a twin structure. The opening track, is mirrored by the closer, ‘Likely place,’ with the same looping motif played first with strings, then with a sharp electric guitar buzz.”
With Lust for Life, Courting deliver a blend of crowd-pleasing anthems and bold electronic experimentation. From the edgy, rave-like energy of “Stealth Rollback” to the dance-punk groove of “Pause at You” and the pop-leaning melodies of “Eleven Sent (This Time),” Courting move seamlessly between soundscapes. The two-part epic title track, “Lust for Life,” takes the band’s sonic ambitions even further, with an eerie, sparse opening that transforms into a pulse-pounding closer. Murphy-O’Neill explains, “It’s about a credit card scam—it sounds silly, but there’s something really touching about it.”
Courting have firmly established their reputation as one of the UK’s most inventive indie bands. Murphy-O’Neill reflects, “We’ve hit expectations but also subverted them. It does feel like an end to something, but I’m not really sure what. It’s like everything we’ve done so far has culminated in this album.”
Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’ is out 14th March 2024 via Lower Third
Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Stealth Rollback
3. Pause At You
4. Namcy
5. Eleven Sent (This Time)
6. After You
7. Lust For Life
8. Likely Place For Them To Be
Courting are:
Sean Murphy-O’Neill (Guitar/Vocals)
Sean Thomas (Drums/Vocals)
Josh Cope (Guitar)
Connor McCann (Bass)