Sleepwalking is the debut EP by West Auckland alternative rock band Courtney Hate. Self-released on the 18th of December 2016.
Background & recording[]
The four EP tracks were written from 2015 to 2016 while the band played many gigs in the Auckland all-ages music scene. The songwriting process consisted of the four band members in practice rooms at Green Bay High School; Colwell, van Orsoy de Flines and Brookes would improvise together, while Kerrigan would sit in the corner on her phone, crafting her lyrics and melodies until she deemed them good enough to share with the band. "Nein Senpai Poisson" is about a text message Kerrigan received. "DOGS" is about a dream Kerrigan had where giant rats with wing-like ears flapped towards her, along with a snake. "This is not ironic, watch me while i cry" is the first song Courtney Hate wanted people to take seriously, and that they took seriously from a songwriting perspective, it's about "nature versus nurture", "genes versus learnt behaviour", and defines the sound the band felt they were searching for.[1]
The EP was recorded from the beginning of 2015 to shortly before it was released, entirely by Chris White at White Records, his home studio. The songs were mixed and mastered by White and Chris Townend. Townendmixed and mastered tracks 1 to 3. The track "Magnoggmanous" was released on Bandcamp as a single for promotion but wasn't included on the EP's digital track listing, it was included as the fourth track on the physical copy of the CD, due to the band wanting the EP to have a consistent sound the whole way through as track 4 was mixed and mastered by White. "Magnoggmanous" is named after original band member Bethan Hunter's auto-corrected misspelling of the word "monogamous" in a Facebook group chat.[1]
Release show[]
One month after the EP's release, the band played a release show where physical copies of the CD were sold, alongside copies of the Hook Up Culture zine curated by Brookes and photographer Gabrielle Stoddard. Support acts were Roidz, Soda Boyz and Randa.[2]
The EP has a 4/5 review on Sputnik Music[3] and received press from 95bFM[1] and Undertheradar.[4]
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nein Senpai Poisson" | 4:23 |
| 2. | "DOGS" | 3:55 |
| 3. | "This is not ironic, watch me while i cry" | 3:55 |
| 4. | "Magnoggmanous" | 2:48 |
Personnel[]
Courtney Hate[]
- Jami Kerrigan - vocals
- Ruby Colwell - guitar
- Marieke van Orsoy de Flines - bass, backing vocals
- Xanthe Brookes
Technical[]
- Chris White - recording, mixing (track 4), mastering (track 4)
- Chris Townend - mixing (tracks 1-3), mastering (tracks 1-3)
- Karin Yamasaki - cover art
Links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Long Player: Courtney Hate - Sleepwalking, 95bFM, 14/1/2017, http://95bfm.com/bcast/long-player-courtney-hate-sleepwalking
- ↑ Courtney Hate w/ Roidz, Soda Boyz and Randa + HUC Zine, Courtney Hate, Facebook Event Page, https://www.facebook.com/events/1859395144347775/
- ↑ Courtney hate - Sleepwalking (album review), Sputnik Music, 24/11/2016, https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/72313/Courtney-Hate-Sleepwalking/
- ↑ Listen: Courtney Hate - Nein Senpai Poisson, Undertheradar, 22/11/2016, https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/11890/Listen-Courtney-Hate---Nein-Senpai-Poisson.utr