Courting - New Last Name (LP) - White Vinyl

Courting’s second album, New Last Name, landed in January 2024 and it feels like a cheeky curtain-raiser for a band who were already restless after their 2022 debut, Guitar Music. The Liverpool four-piece lean into theatre across this record. They’ve talked about it like a show with acts and reprises, and that idea proves a neat compass for what they do best. They treat indie rock as a playhouse, swapping scenery from track to track, tossing out hooks and asides, then ripping them up for the next scene.

What’s striking straight away is how tight the group sounds. The guitars snap and shimmer, the rhythm section moves with a springy kind of confidence, and the vocals dart between sly spoken lines and big sing-alongs. It’s not post-punk austerity and it’s not straight pop either. Instead, they juggle sharp riffs with bright synth touches and percussion that isn’t afraid to be danceable. It’s the same bratty intelligence that made Guitar Music fun, but the edges feel sanded just enough to give you more replayable songs rather than just clever moments.

Throw is the obvious headline single here. It tumbles in with itchy guitars and a chorus that begs for a shout along, the sort of thing you can picture ricocheting off venue walls on a Friday night. It’s punchy and quick, but there’s a neat sense of space in the verses, like the band are letting you peek around the set before they slam the chorus back in. We Look Good Together (Big Words) plays a different game. It’s cocky and sweet at once, winking at romance and image while landing a hook you’ll catch yourself humming on the tram. The band keep their lyrics sharp enough to raise a grin, but they never trip over their own cleverness. That balance is where New Last Name shines.

Across the record, the production treats each song like a new scene change. Guitars come in crisp and close, then drop out for a synth line that feels like a neon sign buzzing to life. Choruses arrive clean, without smothering the live feel, and the drums are mixed to punch without steamrolling the rest of the band. You can hear how carefully they place backing vocals and little ear-candy details, yet it still feels like a group standing a few feet from you in a small room. That’s rare for albums that flirt with big pop polish.

There’s a through-line about identity and presentation that runs under the jokes and the sugar. The title itself hints at reinvention, and the verses keep circling questions about performance, image, and the masks you wear to get by. It isn’t po-faced. Courting keep it lively, but the ideas land because the writing is honest about the mess of it all. One minute you’re strutted up, the next you’re second-guessing in the wings. The record lets both be true.

If you came for riffs, you’re sorted. If you came for earworms, you’re just as lucky. But the real pleasure is how the band stage-manage their own restlessness. They’ll sneak in a tempo shift, or twist a bridge into a fresh hook on the way out, then call back to it later like a reprise. That kind of structural play makes New Last Name a proper album listen, not just a bag of singles. It also means the record sits beautifully on wax. Side A is a surge, side B gives you a few more shadows, and the whole thing invites a flip and a rerun. If you’re browsing for Courting vinyl, this is the one that will live on your turntable rather than your shelf.

I’ve spun a few pressings in the shop and the cut does the low end justice without dulling the guitars, which is all you can ask from a modern indie release. If you’re looking to buy Courting records online, keep an eye out for the New Last Name vinyl variant that pairs the art nicely with the theatrical concept. It looks sharp in a sleeve rack, and the sequencing rewards a full sit-down listen. Courting albums on vinyl tend to reveal the little production jokes tucked between the lines, and this one’s no different. If you’re crate digging through vinyl records Australia wide, or ducking into a Melbourne record store on a Saturday, this is an easy staff-pick recommendation.

New Last Name proves Courting aren’t content to coast on the hype of their debut. They’ve sharpened their songs, kept their wit, and built a record that treats spectacle and sincerity as equal partners. It’s loud, bright and charming, but it also sticks around after the lights go up.