Courtney Barnett, photo by Lindsey Barnes

Courtney Barnett has shared a pair of new singles previewing her long-awaited fourth studio album, Creature of Habit. “Mantis” and “Sugar Plum” focus the thematic scope of the Australian indie forerunner’s first full-length with vocals in four years, dwelling in a determined longing for meaning and surrendering to life as it is through honeyed, melancholic soft rock monologues. Bright and tense chords turn over as she launches existential confrontations from built-up habits and sights around the house, meeting listeners in transition between doubt and hope.

“’Mantis’ is the microcosmic centerpiece of this album, it embodies the message and meaning of every track. It’s a song about searching, and it helped me find my way through Creature Of Habit,” Barnett expressed in a release:

“I was feeling particularly lost while I was working on this song. One day, I was standing in the kitchen, making a coffee, when I noticed a little green praying mantis sitting on top of the doorframe. I had never seen one there in the desert house, so I took it as an important sign from the universe. I texted a photo to Stella and she said it’s good luck, look it up! I did a quick search and found it to also represent patience, perseverance and a guide for those who needed direction. I stood and spoke to the mantis for a while, it was a strange and enlightening moment that I’ll never forget. Eventually, I got back to writing, and finally I had the chorus to this song.”

Barnett will introduce Creature of Habit with a spring North American tour, comprising 15 shows in Texas, the East Coast and the Midwest from May 1-22. She’ll resume her run at the end of the summer, with 10 further stops in the Midwest and West taking her to a home city finale at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium on Aug. 29 alongside Built to Spill. Momma, Truman Sinclair, and Zoh Amba are committed as openers for the rest of the run. Find more information at courtneybarnett.com.au.

Creature of Habit is set to release via Mom+Pop Music on March 27 and is available to pre-order and pre-save now. Listen to “Mantis” and “Sugar Plum” below, and read on for the album’s full tracklist.

Creature of Habit – Courtney Barnett:

1. Stay In Your Lane
2. Wonder
3. Site Unseen (featuring Waxahatchee)
4. Mostly Patient
5. One Thing At A Time
6. Mantis
7. Sugar Plum
8. Same
9. Great Advice
10. Another Beautiful Day