We couldn't have dreamt up a better musical match than the recent collaboration between Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett. The two seem like natural creative partners, in theory, with both prone to electric guitar freakouts, they’re each associated with the term “slacker” despite enviable productivity, and they find meaning in the mundane.
The two have crossed paths at what seems like the most inimitable time. Vile has subtly drifted toward wry storytelling recently, whereas Barnett, the one you would usually throw on for the stories and the wryness, has gravitated toward garage-rock and grunge styles which are more of Vile’s wheelhouse.
“Over Everything” demonstrates how easy the sonic relationship is between Vile and Barnett. As the first single from the newfound duo’s upcoming album, Lotta Sea Lice, the two trade off gnarled guitar riffs and deadpan deliveries of stream-of-conscious lyrics. In the black-and-white video, the indie rockers sing straight into the camera while strumming their Fender electric guitars in a series of locales – a beach, city bridge and country field - while appropriately singing the other's lines.