Courtney Barnett releases gauzy and graceful new single “Before You Gotta Go”

Courtney Barnett knows how to capture quiet moments. Picking out delicate details like parents walking their kids to school, changing her sheets, and cutting out caffeine, she makes listeners feel as if you’re seeing everything in life for the first time. On “Before You Gotta Go,” Barnett’s latest single from her upcoming album Things Take Time, Take Time (out on November 12), she once again makes mundane things mesmerizing.

Turning an argument into an endearing love song on “Before You Gotta Go,” Barnett makes it clear she isn’t actually concerned with who’s right. Acknowledging that it doesn’t matter what was said in the heat of the moment, she asserts “if something were to happen my dear / I wouldn’t want the last words you hear / to be unkind.” Her slightly deadpan delivery and folk-pop give the song a subtle grace that’s akin to sunlight streaming in through your window; the wispy synthesizers and gauzy guitar licks she incorporates only add to the overall ethereal quality. Lyrically, it feels like realizing how much someone means to you as they walk out the door. However, as Barnett so sweetly proves, it’s never too late to tell someone how you really feel. 

You can stream “Before You Gotta Go” below. Courtney Barnett plays The Met Philly on February 4th, 2022; get tickets for her Philly show here, and find the latest Philly concert news at the XPN Concert Calendar.