Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile

About

Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile are an Australian and American indie rock duo who joined forces on their 2017 collaborative album Lotta Sea Lice. Barnett, known for her dry wit and vivid storytelling, and Vile, the Philadelphia lo fi veteran and former War on Drugs guitarist, turned out to be a natural pairing. The record is exactly what you would hope for from two guitarists with strong songwriting voices, loose and unhurried, with both artists clearly enjoying the lack of pressure that comes with a side project. Vile had already built a serious solo catalog by the time the two teamed up, with albums like Smoke Ring for My Halo and Wakin on a Pretty Daze earning him a devoted following. Lotta Sea Lice gave fans of both artists a chance to hear their styles in conversation, and it holds up as one of the more genuinely fun collaborative records to come out of indie rock in recent years.