Courtney Barnett - Creature of Habit

Indie Rock – Released March 27, 2026 – 10 songs, 38 mins

ROZ

This weeks artist has had more ups and downs for me than a ride at Universal Studios, and with this latest effort it feels as though that she has finally come to a halt in the center of it. This week’s artist is none other than Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett as she releases her fourth studio album Creature of Habit, and considering the review and score that I gave Barnett’s third one would think that I’d have vetoed this album at the first sight of it. On the contrary – this album all but confirms how much this cold heart has warmed up to Aussie slacker rock in a way that 2021 Rozzy would have never dreamed of.

At the crux of Creature of Habit is one simple idea: moving on from the past. Written after the dissolution of her personal record label Milk! Records due to “persistent financial concerns” fresh off the global pandemic, this album hints at the trials and tribulations that come about when plans change. These feelings are further amplified by Barnett’s own physical move from Australia all the way to Los Angeles – anecdotally speaking, as someone who has lived in seven different cities across two separate countries I found that every move had its way of “hard resetting” a person’s perspective on things in their life. Tracks Site Unseen and One Thing At a Time really get this message across in true form albeit using Barnetts lethargic, almost indifferent cadence to do it. Studio phenom John Congleton (a producer who seems to have one of the highest work rates out there in these modern times) does what he does best, and ensures that all aspects of Barnett’s plans for this album become realized as he takes the helm for this fourth effort. Considering Ms. Barnett served as the lead producer for her albums up to this point, I have no doubts that handing over the keys to the kingdom must have been yet another big change to meditate on throughout the making of this record. On the plus side at least, you get Flea on the bass guitar and Waxahatchee on a vocal feature – that’s Hollywood for you, baby.

Compared to her last outing, the instrumentation on Creature of Habit is leaps and bounds above its predecessor. Lazily programmed drum machines and half-effort tippy taps are instead now replaced with a pleasant variety of percussive elements across Stella Mozgawa’s kit. Barnett herself seems to have had a much-needed change of heart when it comes to her love of the electric guitar as her abilities are properly highlighted on this album – One Thing at A Time in particular has a phenomenal example of this on the back half, as it presents the listener with a two-minute shred-filled showcase. Of all the tracks across Creature of Habit, I naturally found myself gravitating towards Same as my personal favourite (for reasons that I am sure anyone who knows me can hypothesize). Imagine my excitement when I discovered that it was none other than 2024 year-end shortlist candidate Floating Points who blasted the barrage of synthesized beauty that had me so fixated from the first listen. This truly is a musical crossover that I never would have expected in a million years, but it is one that I welcome with open arms.

All of this praise aside, I would never go as far as to say that Creature of Habit attempts to break any sort of mold or tries to reach that next level because I firmly believe that this was never even the objective. Barnett coasts her way across the listing and never breaks her stride, giving me the strangest feeling that she is just happy to be out here telling her stories and singing her songs. Creature of Habit is a B+ record through and through. It is that slow ride through the back country with an old friend; warm, comfortable, familiar. While you won’t see yourself getting too excited, at the very least you can put the seat back and enjoy the ride.

Overall Score: 7.7/10

Favourite Song: Same

REID

This week TSR sees the long-awaited return of Australian singer-songwriter, Courtney Barnett. It’s been five and a half years since Things Take Time, Take Time (2021) and quite frankly, that’s too long for an artist on the rise and in her prime. She had gained so much momentum to that point in her career, I had her pegged alongside Big Thief’s Adrienne Lenker as the next women in rock. Fast forward to 2026, Lenker is a household name while Barnett has fizzled and tumbled down a loaded list of competitors. Let’s see if Creature of Habit can make up for lost time.

The good thing for Courtney is - not much has changed. It’s fun to revisit our 2021 reviews and reflect on her career path. She’s still an excellent songwriter and has an obvious penchant for easily consumable indie rock. If it’s your first experience with her work, her soft sonic palette is a treat and this record is full of warm, melodic guitars to go with her unique, Aussie vocal. Highlights include Wonder, One Thing at a Time and Mantis.

Her struggles with mental health remain at the thematic forefront and her songs offer a glimpse into how she navigates life. Paranoia, anxiety, insecurities and flat-out disappointment fill the 39-minute runtime. She preaches hope and patience to push for greater things but it’s clearly an ongoing battle and hopefully one that gets easier for her with age. Her willingness to share her fight through her music assuredly helps listeners suffering through similar circumstances.

The bad thing for Courtney is – not much has changed. It’s frustrating to revisit our 2021 reviews and reflect on her career path. See what I did there? The harsh reality is all these years later, Barnett sounds the same. If it’s your first experience with her work, you’re lucky! You may think you’ve stumbled on a gem. But those that have followed her since her triumphant debut record in 2015 have heard this before. Eventually the spoken vocal starts to feel lazy instead of cool and the songs blend into one another without even noticing. Change isn’t always easy but on her next album, it’s necessary.

Barnett returned from her hiatus and has damn near mastered the art of smooth indie rock. The tracklist of Creature of Habit adds to her slowly growing catalog. The problem? She’s been proficient for a decade and this comfortable sound she’s known for is getting stale.

Overall Rating: 7.2/10

Favourite Song: Mantis

LUNDI

Finding new music to love and share is the heart of TSR. Sometimes an album just scratches an itch, other times there’s an immediate sense of longevity to an artist and their output. Both sides of the coin are important and have their roles, but if placed in the latter bucket future expectations enter the picture and escalate. This week’s artist, Courtney Barnett, debuted with two of the keenest EP’s in the history of indie rock followed by one of the best lyrically driven albums ever. She seemed inevitable. A near 13 years and 3 albums since, what was once seen as a can’t miss career has led us to Creature of Habit, a bland rehashing that strikes all the wrong chords.

Creature of Habit finds Barnett comfortably in her lane. Her unique vocal still shines as she leads a well formed classic garage band that has thankfully found use for a set of drums again. The elegant Mantis beams as a beautiful song while Same pops with the artists rare use of piercing keyboard. Overall the album is blissful, sonically tight and surface level pleasing. So why the low score? Well with each spin the lasting sentiment plunges into negativity. What starts as a vague feeling of familiarity morphs to a sticky sensation of stagnation. While an independent album analysis is ideal, the glaring lack of ambition and growth is impossible to ignore.

There’s no shortage of artists that sound the same album to album. Barnett could have easily gotten away with another down trodden anxiety riddled passable album. Better yet she could have used the last four years to unearth fresh monotonous tasks like house buying, gardening and swimming to find astute and hilarious observations in, all while maintaining her signature sound. But what did she do? Wrote 10 songs and 38 minutes of music that focuses on the importance of adaption and change in one’s life. A great and meaningful message sure, but how does one find enjoyment in an album that so repeatedly claims not to spin your wheels, while that artist is so clearly doing just that in her own music. This is compounded further again by the mere fact criticism of her previous two albums focused in on just that issue. Can we take a message seriously from an artist who doesn’t take her own advice? It all results in an album that pulls itself apart. A house of cards that experiences one small gust. 

With Creature it’s now become impossible not to be bored with Barnett’s output. It’s stale and politely preachy with almost no ear candy to speak of. At some point when an artist is stuck and stagnate the sound will wear on even the longest time followers. Consider me there. This may come off as frustration or disappointment of a rambling fan, but with so much great music coming out day after day this album is creatively dull. After a lengthy album break of nearly five years you’d think the an indie darling would be peaking as she displays penned fresh ideas but after just a couple of songs all you can think is ah, this again. Creature is pretty firmly Barnett’s worst album and to anyone digging this sound I’d suggest tossing it aside for A Sea of Split Peas or Sometimes I Sit and Think. You can thank me later. 

Creature of Habit sees Courtney Barnett promote growth, adaptation and change all while her music stays exactly the same. An artist that once seemed inevitable for greatness is teetering at the edge of becoming another musician that’s mostly remembered for what could have been. 

Overall Rating: 6.3/10

Favourite Song: Mantis