Lotta Sea Lice, an album and collaboration between Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett. It will be released on Matador on October 13th (Marathon in Europe, Milk! in Australia & New Zealand).

Lotta Sea Lice is a conversation between friends, documented in raw, unvarnished song, brimming with personal history, crackling with energy and shot through with humor. What started as a loose plan to record a couple songs with no plans for release, turned into this full-length-

 

"because the vibee was so strong," says Kurt.

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There's an unforced ease to the record, helped by the fact that the pair have been not just friends, but hardcore fans of each other's work for years. They also roped in colleagues such as

Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three, Stella Mozgawa from Warpaint, and Aussie icon Mick Harvey.

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The shared chemistry is immediately apparent in the album opener and first single

"Over Everything", with dovetailing vocal lines and intricate, shimmering guitar. The lyrics play out as a rambling dialogue as they compare notes about songwriting and inspiration; it was the first song written for this project. The video was directed by Danny Cohen, who shot each on their home turf.

 

The pair also tackle each other's tracks on the album, with Vile delivering a delicious, souped-up version of "Outta the Woodwork" backed by Barnett herself, and Barnett taking on Vile's "Peepin' Tomboy" completely solo, to spine-tingling result.

The overall effect of Lotta Sea Lice is of Barnett and Vile throwing open the doors to their house to listeners - it's their party, but everyone is invited- Matador.

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Lotta Sea Lice will be out on 13th October 2017 on Milk! Records, Marathon Artists and

Matador Records.

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COURTNEY BARNETT:

I'M A HUGE KURT VILE FAN, HAVE BEEN SINCE I WALKED INTO THORNBURY RECORDS ONE MORNING AND BLINDLY BOUGHT SMOKE RING FOR MY HALO. THAT ALBUM WAS ONE OF MY FIRST PURCHASES ON VINYL. I WAS GETTING OVER A BIG BREAK-UP, UN-EMPLOYED AND DRIFTING. I WOULD JUST LIE ON MY BED AND LISTEN TO PEEPIN' TOMBOY ON REPEAT. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND LUSCIOUS ALBUMS I EVER HEARD. ME AND JEN FELL IN LOVE TO THAT ALBUM.

KURT VILE:

WHILE THE VIOLATORS WERE TOURING AUSTRALIA DURING THE WALKIN ON A PRETTY DAZE ERA I WAS HEARING COURTNEY'S NAME A LOT. WE ADDED AN EXTRA SHOW IN MELBOURNE AND THE CB4 (COURTNEY'S BAND) WERE ADDED TO OPEN THE SHOW.

COURTNEY BARNETT:

I SCORED A SUPPORT SLOT OPENING FOR KURT AT THE ABBOTSFORD CONVENT. WE MET BRIEFLY AFTER THE SHOW BUT I WAS A BIT NERVOUS AND DIDN'T WANNA BOTHER HIM, JUST GRATEFUL FOR THE GIG.

KURT VILE:

AFTER THE SHOW COURTNEY GAVE ME HER DOUBLE VINYL EP. THE FIRST SONG WAS OUT OF THE WOODWORK. I LOVE HOW SORT OF SLOW AND SWAYING IT IS, PRETTY BUT DARK WITH DISORIENTING LYRICS. I LOVE ALL HER MUSIC BUT THE SONG THAT REALLY HIT ME ON HER NEXT ALBUM WAS DEPRESTON. I'M A SUCKER FOR THAT KINDA SONG: INSTANT CLASSIC. SO PRETTY AND SINCERE.

COURTNEY BARNETT:

WE STARTED BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT ALL AROUND THE WORLD AND WE BECAME FRIENDS. HE HIT ME UP WHEN HE WAS COMING TO MELBOURNE AGAIN. HE SAID HE HAD A SONG THAT HE THOUGHT WE COULD WORK ON TOGETHER. WE STARTED SENDING DEMO'S BACK & FORTH.

KURT VILE:

I STARTED WRITING A TUNE THAT I HOPED SHE'D DO WITH ME ONE DAY. I WAS DOING PROMO FOR B'LIEVE I'M GOING DOWN AND BEING PHOTOGRAPHED IN PHILLY WITH MY ACOUSTIC AND LITERALLY WRITING A SONG I HAD IN MIND FOR HER (OVER EVERYTHING) WITH THE IDEA OF ALTERNATING LINES AND EVERYTHING. SHE AGREED (TO COLLABORATE) AND WROTE A SONG TOO (LET IT GO). THAT WAS THAT!

COURTNEY BARNETT:

I THINK OUR PLAN WAS LOOSELY TO RECORD TWO SONGS. THERE WAS NEVER ANY DISCUSSION OF A FINISHED PRODUCT, MAYBE A 7" IF IT WAS ANY GOOD. I WAS IN SUCH A SONG-WRITING RUT AT THE TIME, I WAS IN A REAL PANIC ABOUT HAVING NO SONGS AND BEING A FAKE SONGWRITER. I NEARLY PULLED THE PLUG A BUNCH OF TIMES AND ENDED UP SCOURING OUR EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE FOR LYRICAL IDEAS. "WHAT TIME DO YOU USUALLY WAKE UP? DEPENDS ON WHAT TIME I GO TO SLEEP."

KURT VILE:

LET IT GO IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE PRETTY BUT SORT OF SAD SONG STYLE I LOVE BY HER. IT STARTED OUT AS MAYBE WE'LL DO A SPLIT 7" BUT THEN I FIGURED LET'S MAKE IT A 12" SO IT DOESN'T GET LOST IN THE WORLD, SHOOT FOR 5 SONGS. I WAS COUNTRY-MUSIC-DORKING-OUT AND OBSESSED WITH ROOTS MUSIC AT THE TIME SO I CONVINCED EVERYONE THAT WE SHOULD DO A COVER OF BLUEBERRY HILL. WE HAD THE TWO ORIGINALS AND THE BLUEBERRY HILL COVER THEN COURTNEY SUGGESTED WE COVER EACH OTHER SO THE PLAN WAS TO WORK ON THOSE SONGS ON OUR OWN.

COURTNEY BARNETT:

IT WAS JUST SO FUN THE PANIC DRIFTED AWAY. KURT'S SO ENCOURAGING AND SILLY SO ALL THIS CONFIDENCE THAT I HAD LOST WAS RE-IGNITED, I THINK I KNEW DEEP DOWN IT WOULD KICK-START MY BRAIN. WE WERE ORIGINALLY GONNA DO A KINDA ACOUSTIC FOLK DUO THING, THEN KURT WAS LIKE "IS IT OK IF MY FRIENDS MICK AND JIM COME JAM WITH US?" SO NEXT MINUTE WE'RE JAMMIN WITH ROB (KURT'S BASS-MAN) AND TWO MEMBERS OF THE DIRTY THREE AND WE'VE STARTED GATHERING A PILE OF SONGS.

KURT VILE:

THE BAND WAS ME, COURTNEY, MY BASS PLAYER ROB LAAKSO AND I INVITED MICK TURNER AND JIM WHITE, TWO NEW FRIENDS FROM TOURING. IT WAS AMAZING PLAYING WITH MICK AND JIM OF COURSE! THEN THE VIOLATORS LEFT FOR MORE SHOWS.

COURTNEY BARNETT:

JUMP FORWARD A YEAR, KURT'S BACK IN MELBOURNE SO WE BOOK ANOTHER 3 DAYS AND RECORD SOME MORE HALF-COOKED IDEAS (THIS TIME WITH STELLA MOZGAWA FROM WARPAINT) AND EVENTUALLY WE'VE GOT ABOUT 10 SONGS STEWING, SOME COVERS, SOME ORIGINALS. VERY LIVE AND SPONTANEOUS BUT MOSTLY JUST A BUNDLE OF FUN.

KURT VILE:

WE RAN INTO EACH OTHER ON THE ROAD IN VARIOUS CONTINENTS AND TALKED ABOUT THE RECORDINGS. I GUESS IT WASN'T TILL I HAD ANOTHER TOUR BOOKED FOR THE FOLLOWING SUMMER IN AUSTRALIA THAT WE THOUGHT WE SHOULD RECORD AS MUCH AS WE CAN, NO MAJOR GOAL TO MAKE IT A FULL LENGTH BUT IT CAME TOGETHER THAT WAY BECAUSE THE VIBE WAS SO STRONG. CALLUM (BARTER) THE ENGINEER WAS AMAZING AND CRUCIAL TO THE LAID BACK ATMOSPHERE AS WELL. I LOVE WORKING WITH COURTNEY, THE COLLABORATION WAS LAID BACK WITH LESS PRESSURE. THERE ARE SOME GREAT GUESTS TOO. MICK AND JIM AND ROB OF COURSE BUT ALSO STELLA MOZGAWA AND MICK HARVEY. BACKING VOCALS FROM JADE IMAGINE AND JESS RIBEIRO, AND DAVE AND BONES FROM COURTNEY'S BAND.

COURTNEY BARNETT:

NOW WE FINISHED THE ALBUM, WE DREAMT UP AN AMAZING BAND WHICH WE'VE CALLED THE SEA LICE (INSPIRED BY A STELLA MOZGAWA BEACH-SIDE-STORY) AND ME N KURT WILL BE STANDING THERE OUT FRONT WITH OUR GUITARS SINGING SONGS TOGETHER. SONGS FROM THIS ALBUM WE DID, A HANDFUL OF OUR OWN SONGS FROM PREVIOUS ALBUMS, MAYBE SOME OLD FOLK SONGS N WHAT NOT. HARMONIES AND GUITARMONIES GALORE. VERY COLLABORATIVE.

KURT VILE:

IT'LL BE A COOKIN BAND AND AN INTERNCONTINENTAL COUNTRY DUO FOR THE AGES (MINUS THE COUNTRY, HAHA).

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LIVE DATES

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10/11 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues

10/14 - Los Angeles, CA - The Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Church (SOLD OUT)

10/15 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre

10/18 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre

10/20 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

10/21 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre

10/22 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox (SOLD OUT)

10/25 - St. Paul, MN - Palace Theatre (SOLD OUT)

10/26 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Chapel (SOLD OUT)

10/27 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall (SOLD OUT)

10/28 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle (SOLD OUT)

10/30 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre

10/31 - Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall

11/01 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre (SOLD OUT)

11/03 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre

11/04 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre

11/06 - Loew's Jersey Theatre - Jersey City, NJ

11/07 - The Anthem - Washington, DC

11/09 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium

11/10 - Dallas, TX - McFarlin Memorial Auditorium

11/11 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at the Moody Theater (SOLD OUT)

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B I Z Z A R R E

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