Courting is back with a bang, revealing a dynamic new collaboration with prolific New York rapper RXKNephew on the track “rollback freestyle.” The single’s release also comes with the full details of a deluxe edition of their third album, set to drop on October 24th via Lower Third Recordings.
The band had previously teased the deluxe version of their critically acclaimed album Lust for Life with the single “the twins (1969).” Now, fans have the official title, the fittingly elaborate How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story, Or: ‘Lust for Life’, along with a full track list. The deluxe album features seven new songs, including demos, live versions, remixes of “Pause at You” and “Nancy,” and the much-anticipated collaboration with RXKNephew, who The Face has dubbed “America’s Weirdest Rapper.”
Courting has long been praised for their bold, experimental sound; the band leaned into their industrial and hyperpop influences for the new single. Working in-house, touring keyboardist Sebastian Westwood (AKA Grey Streak) and vocalist Sean Murphy-O’Neill reworked album samples, creating a natural evolution into the world of experimental hip-hop.
Speaking on the extension, vocalist Sean Murphy O’Neill states,
Hardly just a deluxe, but an inversion – this release is an attempt to add new layers to the dual thematics of ‘Lust for Life(…)’, by twisting original songs into new beasts entirely, through either doubling up the processing, or stripping it back altogether. Songs written in bedrooms are now opened up and collaborative, whereas songs written on stages are re-interpreted from outside perspectives. Some songs are re-performed live, in the same studio, but with a year of touring forcing them to shift and evolve.
Joining them on the track is RXKNephew, in what might be his first collaboration with a band. Known for an unmatched output that earned him a spot on Pitchfork’s “100 Best RXK Nephew songs of 2021” and support slots with artists like JPEGMAFIA, RXKNephew’s chaotic energy is the perfect match for Courting. As the final touch on the band’s third album in three years, “rollback freestyle” builds on Lust for Life’s themes of self-reference and dichotomy.
In addition to the album news, Courting has announced a run of live dates across the UK and EU.
