Tell Me How You Really Feel
{{For|the Bella Taylor Smith EP|Bella Taylor Smith#Discography}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Tell Me How You Really Feel
| type = studio
| artist = Courtney Barnett
| cover = TellMeHowYouReallyFeel.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{start date|2018|05|18|df=yes}}
| recorded = July 2017
| studio = Soundpark, Northcote, Victoria, Australia
| genre = {{hlist|Indie rock|alternative rock}}
| length = 37:16
| label = {{hlist|Milk!|Mom + Pop|Marathon Artists}}
| producer = {{hlist|Courtney Barnett|Burke Reid|Dan Luscombe}}
| chronology = Courtney Barnett
| prev_title = Lotta Sea Lice
| prev_year = 2017
| next_title = Things Take Time, Take Time
| next_year = 2021
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Tell Me How You Really Feel
| type = Studio
| single1 = Nameless, Faceless
| single1date = 16 February 2018
| single2 = Need a Little Time
| single2date = 16 March 2018{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2018/03/courtney-barnett-goes-to-space-in-video-for-new-single-need-a-little-time-watch|title=Courtney Barnett goes to space in video for new single "Need A Little Time": Watch|work=Consequence of Sound|last=Schatz|first=Lake|date=16 March 2018|access-date=18 May 2018}}
| single3 = City Looks Pretty
| single3date = 19 April 2018
| single4 = Sunday Roast
| single4date = 10 May 2018{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/05/daily-dose-courtney-barnett-sunday-roast.html|title=Daily Dose: Courtney Barnett, "Sunday Roast"|work=Paste|last=Coutts|first=Kylie|date=11 May 2018|access-date=18 May 2018}}
| single5 = Charity
| single5date = 23 August 2018{{cite web |last1=Coulburn |first1=Randall |title=Courtney Barnett Shares 16mm Video For 'Charity' |url=https://consequence.net/2018/08/courtney-barnett-charity-music-video/ |website=Consequence of Sound |date=23 August 2018 |access-date=24 September 2018}}
}}
}}
Tell Me How You Really Feel is the second studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, released on 18 May 2018 by Barnett's Milk! Records, Mom + Pop Music, and Marathon Artists.
Tell Me How You Really Feel received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise in particular given to Barnett's more subdued musical style in comparison to previous releases. The album achieved commercial success, debuting and peaking at number 2 on the ARIA Charts, number 9 on the UK Official Albums Chart, and number 22 on the Billboard 200.
Recording and production
The album was recorded at Soundpark studios in Melbourne with producer Burke Reid, who also worked on Barnett's previous solo album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. Barnett was joined on the album by her live rhythm section of Bones Sloane (bass, backing vocals) and Dave Mudie (drums, backing vocals), as well as guitarist Dan Luscombe of The Drones. The album also features guest appearances from the Deal sisters, Kim and Kelley.{{cite web|title=Tell Me How You Really Feel|url=https://courtneybarnett.bandcamp.com/album/tell-me-how-you-really-feel|website=Bandcamp|accessdate=16 February 2018}} The album was teased with a video shared across Barnett's social media outlets, in which Barnett tries out different instruments and sings snippets of new songs.{{cite web|last=DeVille|first=Chris|title=Courtney Barnett Appears To Tease New Album Tell Me How You Really Feel...|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1982714/courtney-barnett-appears-to-tease-new-album-tell-me-how-you-really-feel/video/|website=Stereogum.com|date=12 February 2018|accessdate=16 February 2018}} The album's lead single, "Nameless, Faceless", was released on 16 February 2018.{{cite news|last=Gotrich|first=Lars|title=Courtney Barnett Announces New Album With A Collage Video For 'Nameless, Faceless'|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/02/15/586001999/courtney-barnett-announces-new-album-with-a-collage-video-for-nameless-faceless|newspaper=NPR|date=15 February 2018|accessdate=16 February 2018}} A music video for "Need a Little Time" directed by Danny Cohen was released on 15 March 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TISIPNpRuoY|title=Courtney Barnett – Need A Little Time|website=YouTube|date=15 March 2018|accessdate=18 March 2018}} "City Looks Pretty" was released on 19 April 2018 along with an accompanying music video directed by Barnett.{{cite news|url=http://www.thefader.com/2018/04/19/courtney-barnett-city-looks-pretty-mom-and-pop|title=Courtney Barnett shares video for "City Looks Pretty"|work=The Fader|last=Maicki|first=Salvatore|date=19 April 2018|accessdate=29 April 2018}} A video for "Sunday Roast" was released on 10 May 2018.
Music and lyrics
Tell Me How You Really Feel is characterised by casual guitar-driven rock songs generally arranged in verse-chorus structures. The guitar work ranges from noisy to subdued. Barnett's vocals are delivered in her distinctive laid-back "sing-speak" style with rich, rhyming lyrics. Among other themes, the album explores the challenges and frustrations of being a lyricist upon whom others have placed high expectations. Barnett's style on this album has been compared to grunge bands Nirvana and Hole and to indie rock musicians Pavement and Liz Phair.
Critical reception
File:Courtney Barnett Brisbane 2018.jpg
{{Music ratings
| MC = 80/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/tell-me-how-you-really-feel/courtney-barnett|title=Tell Me How You Really Feel by Courtney Barnett Reviews and Tracks|publisher=Metacritic|accessdate=27 May 2018}}
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0003153403|pure_url=yes}}|title=Tell Me How You Really Feel – Courtney Barnett|publisher=AllMusic|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|accessdate=18 May 2018}}
| rev2 = The A.V. Club
| rev2score = C{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/courtney-barnett-lacks-the-energy-to-tell-me-how-you-re-1826071882|title=Courtney Barnett lacks the energy to Tell Me How You Really Feel|work=The A.V. Club|last=Zaleski|first=Annie|date=17 May 2018|accessdate=18 May 2018}}
| rev3 = Chicago Tribune
| rev3score = {{rating|3.5|4}}{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/sc-ent-courtney-barnett-album-review-0511-story.html|title=Review: Courtney Barnett lets modesty, empathy rule on 'Tell Me How You Really Feel'|work=Chicago Tribune|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|date=15 May 2018|accessdate=18 May 2018}}
| rev4 = The Guardian
| rev4score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/18/courtney-barnett-tell-me-how-you-really-feel-review-sharp-barbs-and-no-holds-barred|title=Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel review – sharp barbs and no holds barred|work=The Guardian|last=Pollard|first=Alexandra|date=18 May 2018|accessdate=22 May 2018}}
| rev5 = The Independent
| rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/courtney-barnett-parquet-courts-charles-watson-ray-lamontagne-album-review-roundup-a8354501.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/courtney-barnett-parquet-courts-charles-watson-ray-lamontagne-album-review-roundup-a8354501.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Album reviews: Courtney Barnett, Parquet Courts, Charles Watson, Ray LaMontagne|work=The Independent|last=Robertson|first=Derek|date=16 May 2018|accessdate=18 May 2018}}
| rev6 = NME
| rev6Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/courtney-barnett-tell-really-feel-review-2314393|title=Courtney Barnett – 'Tell Me How You Really Feel' Review|work=NME|last=Leivers|first=Dannii|date=14 May 2018|accessdate=18 December 2019}}
| rev7 = Pitchfork
| rev7score = 7.4/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/courtney-barnett-tell-me-how-you-really-feel/|title=Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel|work=Pitchfork|last=Snapes|first=Laura|date=22 May 2018|accessdate=23 May 2018}}
| rev8 = Q
| rev8Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|title=No Laughing Matter|magazine=Q|location=London|issue=386|last=Catchpole|first=Chris|date=July 2018|page=119}}
| rev9 = Rolling Stone
| rev9Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/review-courtney-barnetts-tell-me-how-you-really-feel-w520372|title=Review: Courtney Barnett's Raging, Empathetic 'Tell Me How You Really Feel'|magazine=Rolling Stone|last=Hermes|first=Will|author-link=Will Hermes|date=18 May 2018|accessdate=22 May 2018}}
| rev10 = Vice
| rev10score = A−{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/expert-witness-with-robert-christgau-tuneyards-coutney-barnett-neko-case/|title=Robert Christgau on Merrill Garbus's Creative Compulsions|work=Vice|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=7 July 2018|access-date=7 July 2018}}
}}
Upon its release, Tell Me How You Really Feel received generally positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on 28 reviews. Laura Snapes of Pitchfork called the album "smaller, more introverted", and wrote that the lower energy yielded an "adventurous and nuanced" album that "tells stories of tenderness and frustration". Jeremy Winograd of Slant Magazine said that although "it may lack some of the instant affability of 2015's Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit", that decision was by design".{{cite news|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/courtney-barnett-tell-me-how-you-really-feel|title=Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel|last=Winograd|first=Jeremy|date=6 May 2018|work=Slant Magazine|accessdate=19 May 2018}}
Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot said that the songs felt "deceptively buoyant, effortless". NME{{'}}s Dannii Leivers wrote that the album's charm lies in the "dark and melancholy" way that Barnett is "exposing her vulnerabilities and fears". Nate Rogers of Flood Magazine wrote that "Barnett's [second] LP is her most somber to date – an emotional drop in tuning, in a sense. It's still littered with her Petty-esque sense of hooks – "Charity" and "Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence" in particular are earworms par excellence – but lyrically, it's a raw one."{{cite web|url=http://floodmagazine.com/49991/courtney-barnett-is-letting-it-all-go/|title=100 Percent Happy: Courtney Barnett Is Letting It All Go|website=Flood|last=Rogers|first=Nate|date=1 May 2018|accessdate=31 May 2018}}
Annie Zaleski of The A.V. Club considered the album's languid nature a detriment, saying that it "lacks the spry, buzzing energy of her debut", which causes it to be a "disappointing and muted record". Multiple critics agreed, however, that "Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence" was a standout song from the album, with Kot calling it a "little pop jewel" and Zaleski referring to it as a "spiraling pop standout".
=Accolades=
| class="wikitable" |
| Publication
! Country ! Accolade ! Year ! Rank |
|---|
| Paste
| US | The 50 Best Albums of 2018{{cite web | url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/11/the-50-best-albums-of-2018.html | title=The 50 Best Albums of 2018 | publisher=Paste | date=November 26, 2018 | accessdate=November 26, 2018}} | 2018 | style="text-align:center;"| 3 |
| The Skinny
|UK |The 50 Best Albums of 2018 |2018 | style="text-align:center;"| 8 |
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018, Tell Me How You Really Feel won the Best Rock Album.{{cite web | url = https://www.ariaawards.com.au/News/2018/And-The-ARIA-Award-Goes-To | title = And the ARIA Award Goes To... | last = Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) | publisher = Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) | date = 28 November 2018 | accessdate = 28 November 2018 }}
At the J Awards of 2018, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.{{cite web|title = The J Award 2018|website = Triple J|url = https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/j-awards-2018/|publisher= Australian Broadcasting Corporation|year = 2018|accessdate =15 August 2020}}
At the 2019 Australian Independent Awards, Tell Me How You Really Feel won Best Independent Artist, Best Independent Album or EP.{{cite web|url=http://www.noise11.com/news/courtney-barnett-and-gurrumul-share-best-independent-album-or-ep-air-award-20190726|title=Courtney Barnett and Gurrumul Share Best Independent Album or EP AIR Award |publisher=noise11|last=Cashmere|first=Paul|date=26 July 2019|accessdate=26 July 2019}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| title_width = 100
| all_writing = Courtney Barnett
| title1 = Hopefulessness
| length1 = 4:48
| title2 = City Looks Pretty
| length2 = 4:42
| title3 = Charity
| length3 = 4:10
| title4 = Need a Little Time
| length4 = 3:58
| title5 = Nameless, Faceless
| length5 = 3:15
| title6 = I'm Not Your Mother, I'm Not Your Bitch
| length6 = 1:50
| title7 = Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence
| length7 = 2:48
| title8 = Help Your Self
| length8 = 3:02
| title9 = Walkin' on Eggshells
| length9 = 4:01
| title10 = Sunday Roast
| length10 = 4:44
| total_length = 37:16
}}
{{Track listing
| title_width = 100
| headline = Japan bonus tracks{{cite web|url=https://trafficjpn.com/releases/tell-me-how-you-really-feel/|title=Tell Me How You Really Feel|work=Traffic|date=15 February 2018 |accessdate=September 19, 2020|language=ja}}
| total_length = 43:57
| title11 = How to Boil an Egg
| length11 = 3:52
| title12 = Swan St Swagger
| length12 = 2:45
}}
Personnel
Credits adapted from Bandcamp.
Musicians
- Courtney Barnett – guitar, vocals
- Bones Sloane – bass, backing vocals
- Dave Mudie – drums, percussion
- Dan Luscombe – keyboards, organ, guitar, backing vocals
- Kim Deal – backing vocals {{small|(tracks 5 and 7)}}, guitar {{small|(track 7)}}
- Kelley Deal – backing vocals {{small|(track 7)}}
Production
- Courtney Barnett – production; Polaroids, artwork
- Burke Reid – production, recording, mixing
- Dan Luscombe – production
- Guy Davie – mastering
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2018)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|Australia|2|artist=Courtney Barnett|album=Tell Me How You Really Feel|rowheader=true|accessdate=26 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Austria|44|artist=Courtney Barnett|album=Tell Me How You Really Feel|rowheader=true|accessdate=31 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Flanders|20|artist=Courtney Barnett|album=Tell Me How You Really Feel|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Wallonia|37|artist=Courtney Barnett|album=Tell Me How You Really Feel|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Netherlands|29|artist=Courtney Barnett|album=Tell Me How You Really Feel|rowheader=true|accessdate=26 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|France|30|artist=Courtney Barnett|album=Tell Me How You Really Feel|rowheader=true|accessdate=6 June 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Germany4|24|id=351896|artist=Courtney Barnett|album=Tell Me How You Really Feel|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Ireland2|36|artist=Courtney Barnett|rowheader=true|accessdate=26 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Oricon|122|M|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/644393/products/1272287/1/|title=Oricon Top 50 albums:2018-05-28|publisher=Oricon|rowheader=true|accessdate=September 19, 2020}} |
| scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ){{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/albums/2018-05-25|title=NZ Top 40 Albums Chart|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|date=28 May 2018|access-date=25 May 2018}}
| 10 |
| {{album chart|Portugal|43|artist=Courtney Barnett|album=Tell Me How You Really Feel|rowheader=true|accessdate=6 June 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Scotland|5|date=20180525|rowheader=true|accessdate=26 May 2018}} |
| scope="row"| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE){{cite web|url=http://www.promusicae.es/listas/semana/3732-%C3%81lbumes-semana-21-2018|title=Top 100 Albumes – Semana 21: del 18.5.2018 al 24.5.2018|publisher=Productores de Música de España|language=Spanish|accessdate=31 May 2018}}
| 55 |
| {{album chart|Switzerland|19|artist=Courtney Barnett|album=Tell Me How You Really Feel|rowheader=true|accessdate=31 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|9|date=20180525|rowheader=true|accessdate=26 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Billboard200|22|artist=Courtney Barnett|rowheader=true|accessdate=30 May 2018}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardFolk|1|artist=Courtney Barnett|rowheader=true|accessdate=1 October 2020}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardIndependent|3|artist=Courtney Barnett|rowheader=true|accessdate=1 October 2020}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardAlternative|3|artist=Courtney Barnett|rowheader=true|accessdate=1 October 2020}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardRock|4|artist=Courtney Barnett|rowheader=true|accessdate=1 October 2020}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardVinyl|1|artist=Courtney Barnett|rowheader=true|accessdate=1 October 2020}} |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Courtney Barnett}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Courtney Barnett albums
Category:Matador Records albums
Category:ARIA Award–winning albums
Category:Albums produced by Burke Reid
Category:Albums produced by Courtney Barnett