Courting team up with RXKNephew on “rollback freestyle“
+ Share new UK and EU dates and detail
deluxe record: How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story, Or: ‘Lust for Life’ out 24th October via Lower Third Recordings
Courting by Charlie Barclay Harris
Past support for Lust For Life
“Courting have continued on their upwards trajectory, proving themselves to be an unstoppable force in the UK indie landscape.” – CLASH
“A bit mad but utterly compelling” – Classic Rock ★★★★
“‘Lust for Life’ is Courting’s best album yet, and they’re only just getting started.” – Dork ★★★★★
“They’re at their strongest” – Daily Mirror
“dropping anthemic bangers with mass appeal.” – The Line of Best Fit
“Intelligent stuff.” – Louder Than War
“The intricate, considered and brazen artistry of the foursome is worthy of far more acclaim” – NME ★★
“This remarkable album stands out, deserving of its own array of accolades.” – ★★★★★ Northern Exposure
“The tragedy of today’s music economy is that so many acts like Courting struggle to release two albums, let alone three. Enjoy this lot while you can – they’re special.” – The Observer ★★★
Today, Courting return with a bold new collaboration with prolific New York rapper RXKNephew, on “rollback freestyle” as well as reveals the full details of the deluxe edition of their third album, set for release on the 24th of October via Lower Third Recordings.
Having initially teased the deluxe version of their critically acclaimed third album Lust for Life with the single “the twins (1969)”, the band have now shared the album’s release date, its title – the aptly named How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story, Or: ‘Lust for Life’ – and the full track listing, which includes seven new tracks of demos, live versions, remixes of lead singles “Pause at You” and “Namcy,” and now, their collaboration with RXKNephew, “America’s Weirdest Rapper” (The Face).
Having already received plaudits for their brash, experimental chops across their discography, notably on their latest album’s track, “Stealth Rollback” – which The Observer in their five-star review of the album called, “pure metallic electronic joy, [like] feral cats fighting on a broken keyboard” – the band reworked samples from the album in-house, with touring keyboardist Sebastian Westwood (AKA Grey Streak) and vocalist Sean Murphy-O’Neill working together to build on the albums more industrial, experimental and even hyperpop sensibilities in what feels like a natural step into the world of experimental hip-hop.
Joining Courting on the track, in what might be his first collaboration with a band, is New York rapper RXKNephew. With a truly unmatched output, earning him his own perplexing list of “Pitchfork’s 100 Best RXK Nephew songs of 2021“, support slots with the likes of JPEGMAFIA, and an eyewateringly large discography considering his 6 years as an active artist, RXKNephew might be the perfect feature to complement Courting’s chaos. The cherry at the top of Couting’s third album in three years, the performances and lyrics alike in “rollback freestyle” build further on the Lust For Life‘s obsession with self-reference, and dichotomy.
Speaking further on the album’s extension, vocalist and songwriter Sean Murphy O’Neill said: “Hardly just a deluxe, but an inversion – this release is an attempt to add new layers to the dual thematics of ‘Lust for Life(…)’, by twisting original songs into new beasts entirely, through either doubling up the processing, or stripping it back altogether. Songs written in bedrooms are now opened up and collaborative, whereas songs written on stages are re-interpreted from outside perspectives. Some songs are re-performed live, in the same studio, but with a year of touring forcing them to shift and evolve.”
Listen to “rollback freestyle” HERE
In addition to sharing details of the Lust For Life deluxe, Courting have also announced a run of UK and EU live dates. Tickets available here.
UK/EU live dates
Saturday 27th September – Paper Dress Vintage – London, UK SOLD OUT
Monday 27th October Supersonic Records – Paris, France
Wednesday 29th October – Ringo Music Bar – Ghent, Belgium
Thursday 30th October – VERA – Groningen, The Netherlands
Friday 31st October – London Calling – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Sunday 2nd November – Mikropol – Berlin, Germany
Tuesday 4th November – Molotow, Top Ten Bar – Hamburg, Germany
Thursday 6th November – The Boileroom – Guildford, UK
Friday 7th November – Where Else? – Margate, UK
Saturday 8th November – Mutations Festival – Brighton, UK
With the release of “rollback freestyle” and the full unveiling of Lust for Life’s deluxe edition, Courting invite listeners deeper into their world of chaos, collaboration, and restless reinvention.
How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story, Or: ‘Lust for Life’ album artwork | Download
More on Lust For Life
Courting’s third album, Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’, is their most sonically adventurous and thematically unified record to date. Across its tracks, the Liverpool band blend jittery electronics, sharp-edged guitars, and infectious pop melodies into a work that’s as immediate as it is intricately constructed. While their previous album embraced theatricality and scale, Lust for Life thrives on contrast – shorter, punchier, and deliberately more direct, yet still rich with in-jokes, interlinked motifs, and hidden depth.
Each song is part of a carefully structured whole, with mirrored track pairings and recurring musical themes giving the record a quiet symmetry beneath its noisy, genre-hopping surface. From the rave-meets-punk chaos of “Stealth Rollback” to the emotionally complex title track, the album plays like a collage of influences filtered through a singular, evolving vision. It’s a confident, unpredictable step forward – proof of a band refusing to settle into any one shape.
Tracklisting:
1. Rollback 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
9. rollback freestyle
10. the twins (1969)
11. pause at you (Meg Wards Wavy Remix)
12. namcy (Dj Streaks Remix)
13. eleven sent (demo)
14. pause @ you (live)
15. likely place for them to be (live)
Courting are:
Sean Murphy-O’Neill (Guitar/Vocals)
Sean Thomas (Drums/Vocals)
Josh Cope (Guitar)
Connor McCann (Bass)
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