Do we like them?

Do we like Courtney Barnett?

Our score: 8 out of 10. A clean record and real community work, but the evidence on her wider politics is thinner than we'd like.

Courtney Barnett is the Australian indie songwriter who made dry, wordy, funny guitar songs into a global career. She has spoken openly about being a lesbian, telling KEXP that when she came out she was frightened, and her parents answered “Yeah, we know!” That's a nice start to any backstory.

She didn't just make records, she built a home for other artists too. Barnett co-founded Milk! Records, which put out her own work and a Split Singles Club series of other people's songs. The label wound up in the lead-up to her new album, as she moved to Los Angeles, and that closure and the move shaped the record.

On the harm check she comes up clean. We found no anti-LGBTQ+ comments, no culture-war grievance, no conspiracy talk and no run of work with dodgy company. She has said that a lot of her songs are political “in a really subtle way”, and she backed up the sentiment on healthcare with a clear view that having none is scary. We found nothing from her specifically on trans issues, so that part is a gap, not a tick.

The good-person side is just as quiet. Searches for allegations, lawsuits and court outcomes turned up nothing against her, and the only 'controversy' we found was a tabloid-style satire piece, which doesn't count. Nobody has gone on record calling her a bully or a fraud.

Her kindness is practical. In January 2020 she and Camp Cope announced Melbourne bushfire benefit shows, with the proceeds going to the Bushfire Disaster Appeal, the NSW Rural Fire Service, Victoria's CFA and wildlife rescue group WIRES. That's the sort of thing you do with a platform when you'd rather help than posture.

The recent news is mostly music. Creature of Habit came out in March 2026 and she says the central question became how to get out of your own way. Reviews have been broadly warm, and the tour has been pulling decent crowds. Nothing controversial attached.