Courting Lust For Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story'
Courting's Lust For Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story' arrives as a concentrated statement of creative growth, a 25-minute sprint that critics say repeatedly hits its marks. Across professional reviews the record's appetite for genre-blurring experimentation and urgent, anthemic energy makes clear why songs like “Stealth Rollback”, “Pause at You” and “After You” keep surfacing as the best tracks on the album.
Critics consistently praise the band's knack for concise songwriting and bold stylistic switches - from violin-driven post-punk finales to club-ready electro-pastiche and Strokes-like grit - with reviewers noting the effective bookends of “Rollback Intro” and the title suite. The collection earned a 77.2/100 consensus score across 5 professional reviews, and commentators highlight how string arrangements, nostalgic nods to 90s/00s indie and sudden genre-hopping produce songs that feel both immediate and artful. Multiple reviewers single out “Stealth Rollback” as a centerpiece - variously described as metallic electronic joy, an electro-clash mission statement and a behemoth folding industrial hyper-pop into indie rock.
That said, the critical voice is measured rather than fawning. While most critics celebrate the record's urgency, anthemic choruses and tight sequencing, some point to moments of abruptness and stylistic restlessness; the payoff depends on whether a listener prizes eclectic leaps over a fully unified tone. Overall the consensus suggests Lust For Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story' is a noteworthy, festival-ready step forward for Courting, one whose standout tracks make a persuasive case for the band's evolving ambition and cross-appeal.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Stealth Rollback
5 mentions
"Stealth Rollback is pure metallic electronic joy, feral cats fighting on a broken keyboard"— The Observer (UK)
After You
4 mentions
"After You sounds like each band member bet their life savings that they could finish the song first"— The Observer (UK)
Pause at You
5 mentions
"Pause at You conjures ecstatic punk funk, a guaranteed floorfiller at imaginary indie sleaze nights"— The Observer (UK)
Stealth Rollback is pure metallic electronic joy, feral cats fighting on a broken keyboard
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Rollback Intro
Stealth Rollback
Pause at You
Namcy
Eleven Sent (This Time)
After You
Lust for Life
Likely place for them to be
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Courting pack a dizzying amount into Lust for Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story', and the best songs - notably “Rollback Intro” and “Likely Place for Them to Be” - frame the album with a brilliant bookend. The record's strongest moments come when they fuse unexpected elements, turning a violin motif into a squalling post-punk finale and making a pulsing club pastiche like “Stealth Rollback” sit comfortably beside catchy rockers such as “Namcy”. Chris Conaton's affection for the abrupt, dark punch that ends “Lust for Life” and the inventive middle trio shows why these tracks are the best songs on the album. Overall, the album's willingness to leap between styles makes its best tracks feel distinctive and rewarding rather than scattered.
Key Points
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The best song is the album's bookend pair - “Rollback Intro” and “Likely Place for Them to Be” - because the violin motif turned into post-punk guitar is brilliant.
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The album's core strengths are its genre-hopping arrangements and concise, inventive songwriting that makes every track distinct.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a voice that alternates deadpan wit with rock criticism, Courting's Lust for Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story' makes its best case with songs like “Stealth Rollback” and “Pause at You” as the album's most telling moments. The review leans on vivid, shorthand comparisons - noting “Stealth Rollback” as a fluttering electro-clash mission statement and “Pause At You” for its Strokes-like grit - to argue these are the best tracks on the record. Elsewhere, “Namcy” and “Eleven Sent (This Time)” supply texture and humour, the former soaked in late-90s alt-rock ephemera and the latter surprising with twee sax and pop-punk vocal tones. Overall the critic presents the best tracks as concise embodiments of the band’s conscious mashup of influences and sly social observation.
Key Points
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The best song(s), notably "Stealth Rollback", act as the album's mission statement by combining electro-clash energy with the band's singularity.
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The album's core strengths are its concise mashup of influences, deadpan wit, and textured nods to indie and alt-rock eras that support its semi-encrypted social commentary.
Themes
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Critic's Take
Courting have taken a big leap on Lust For Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story', turning what was once callow into thrilling, fully realised songs. The review savours the best tracks - “Stealth Rollback” as "pure metallic electronic joy," “Pause at You” as ecstatic punk funk, and “After You” as a winner where the band sound like they "bet their life savings." The title track is a confident multiple-movement sashay that cements this record as a major growth moment. The tone is admiring throughout: they sound special, urgent and increasingly anthem-ready.
Key Points
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After You is the standout because the band sound like they wagered everything and won, giving the track palpable urgency.
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The album's core strengths are adventurous genre-melding, confident songwriting and a new, fuller sound that makes it feel like a major leap forward.
Themes
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Critic's Take
Courting return with Lust For Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story', an impulsive, 25-minute sprint where the best songs - notably “Pause At You” and “Eleven Sent” - crystallise the band’s knack for catchy, nostalgic UK indie hooks. Ben Broyd writes in a confident, celebratory tone, praising the immediate rush of “Rollback Intro” into “Stealth Rollback” and the way “After You” ups the rock drama before the melancholic bass of “Lust for Life” winds the record down. It reads like a distillation of the group’s ambitions: short, precise songs that hit hard and leave an impression, making clear why listeners ask about the best tracks on this album. The review’s voice is upbeat and assured, framing these top songs as both the album’s charms and its clearest achievements.
Key Points
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The best song is “Pause At You” for its distorted vocals, charming bassline and infectious chorus.
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The album’s core strengths are concise, well-crafted songs that blend nostalgic UK indie with experimental and pop touches.
Themes
Critic's Take
Courting sound more assured than ever on Lust For Life, Or: 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story', and the best songs - notably “Stealth Rollback” and “After You” - make that case with brash conviction and melody. The reviewer's ear lingers on “Stealth Rollback” as a behemoth that folds industrial hyperpop, folk-horror and dry indie rock into one thrilling sequence. Likewise, “After You” and festival-ready cuts like “Namcy” are celebrated as ready-made, beer-sloshing anthems that prove the band have found a sweet spot. This record feels like indie music for pop fans and pop music for indie fans, and those standout tracks carry that cross-appeal with bold, catchy immediacy.
Key Points
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The best song, “Stealth Rollback”, is best because it fuses industrial hyperpop, folk-horror and indie rock into a singular, thrilling sequence.
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The album's core strengths are bold genre-blurring, immediate anthemic songwriting, and an adventurous yet cohesive sonic identity.