Courting – New Last Name Review

Bold enough to wade into the swamp of social media, bright enough to make it work. Courting is a pleasure to watch unfold. They have rightly kicked heads and clasped hands with their sophomore release, New Last Name, a confident turn of form which is nothing but improvements on their first works together. Let those vibrant, violent tones of wildcard indie rock and the slight distortion which gives Courting a leg up to unique qualities rush over you. Those rock and ready ways are captured throughout this second record, a far more assured and readied offering than their debut. Look on to the future with New Last Name, a fine bit of kit which has boasted the chance to buy a sword at one of their shows. What a rush. Wade through those opening singles, Throw and We Look Good Together (Big Words) and brace for the storm.  

Keep the sword, lads, and launch it at those who bring out “this is The 1975,” comparisons. It feels more in tune with the Daft Punk qualities – not their style but their mode of making songs. Cobbling them together with the distorted electronics of the here and now proves wonderful. New Last Name is not thoroughly dedicated to these tones, as The Hills slips off into quieter guitar work – impossible to hear if Party Rock is playing loudly in the other room. If it is not, then slide back into these sombre tones, an exceptional beat and movement to what would be a standard love song if it were not for the unique bells and whistles Courting has since polished for their sophomore release. They are dressed to their Sunday best and bring out a barnstorming record. Give it a moment, and get over the hill, there is the distortion, right where it belongs.  

Flex and Emily G, another two singles to sandwich The Hills in place, feel nicely planted here. New Last Name has a massive boost of confidence to it from the latter single, a constant and lengthy beast of a job. Lingering cigarettes on Babys is moved along with some lush saxophone work and some neat guitar work. It all hits well, settling in place with a wonderful conviction and a charming style to it all – there is not quite a word for how well-maintained Courting comes through on this one. They linger on garage rock tones with the neat and upbeat sharpness of The Wedding, the layered vocals, and the slight overlap bringing out this twee new look for the band – and it suits them well enough. 

Steadier rock charms and a still-favoured use of electronic manipulation mark a fun second outing for Courting and friends. Happy Endings has the potential for a deep-cut classic should they shy away from playing it – though if they do so a rush of the stage and a cry from the crowd should be expected. It is a tremendous album piece which relies on the violent swagger of the manipulation which came before this record. Little pockets of those wilder swings to the void are welcomed, timed nicely and mark a vast improvement on their inclusions the first time around. Rough and rowdy stuff from a band that hopes to crack the States simply by mentioning them on bold album closer America. It is more than Blur ever did. More power to them. Courting has struck gold here and so too do their listeners.