Courting open this album with an instrumental, Black Country, New Road esque, track entitled ‘Rollback intro’. Track two; ‘Stealth Rollback’ asserts their refusal to stick to one sound as it begins with an electronic, concentration demanding opening. Genre jumping is something the band are experienced in, yet this time it sounds far more intentional and cohesive.
‘Pause at You’ is the first time on the album where we get to hear Sean Murphy-O’Neill’s captivating vocals in full force. Eager listeners of the band are sure to recognise the sound of cowbells appearing within the instrumental; a hallmark of many of Courting’s live performances. This song feels like the band readying for a summer of festival performances.
Previous work by the band has featured elements of pop-punk guitar inspiration, and ‘Namcy’ is no exception! This fourth song demonstrates interesting story-telling lyricism. ‘Eleven Sent (This Time)’ also plays with the instrumental as the whistle sounds layer wonderfully with the rest of the band. This lighter sound is immediately undercut by ‘After You’ which sees Courting take a more rock approach, but in a more polished way than their early tracks such as ‘Slow Burner’.
The penultimate track, ‘Lust for Life’, is a definite stand out, starting slowly and building perfectly with the use of synths. With the hard-hitting drums and passionate vocals, it may have been nice to see a bigger crescendo. Instead, the song descends into what feels like a completely different track. Whilst both sides of the track offer great listening, it feels as though they should have been made separate. Nonetheless, the title track is a display of the bands progression from their first album back in 2022.
‘Likely place for them to be’ concludes the record in a wonderful way with an interesting use of guitar, as well as fulfilling the crescendo that we do not quite get in the previous track. With the song ending with the same sound as ‘Rollback Intro’, Courting demonstrate their development of a more cohesive sound. Lust for Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’ is a striking endeavour for Courting as they do not shy away from a genre merging sound. This third album definitely sees the four piece feeling more comfortable in their own sound.