Courtney Barnett performing at Coachella 2016. Credit: Fred von Lohmann
Courtney Barnett is critically acclaimed for her witty observations of the mundane. On her new single “Nameless, Faceless” that ability is still evident, but she also adds social awareness to the equation. The song tackles sexism and women’s fears of being victimized. This is done primarily by poignantly including the following Margaret Atwood quote: “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them”. The song also expresses a desire to be able to “walk in the park in the dark” without having to use her keys has a makeshift weapon. The song also addresses the fragile male ego with lines such as “he said ‘I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup, and spit out better words than you’, but you didn’t”. That lyric also resonates in light of Donald Trump’s fraudulent claims about having the best words and how Trump feels a constant need to have his ego stroke.
“Nameless, Faceless” is the first single off of her upcoming album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, which is slated to be released on May 18, 2018.