''New Last Name'' is the second studio album by British band

Courting Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage or committed romantic, ''de facto'' relationship. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marria ...

, released on 26 January 2024 through Lower Third and

PIAS Recordings PIAS Recordings (formerly Play It Again Sam) is a Belgian record label founded in 1982 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot, In September 2024, the company was acquired by Universal Music Group. Play It Again Sam expanded along with other European i ...

. The album was primarily produced by frontman Sean Murphy O'Neill and producer Robert Whiteley, with two tracks co-produced by Cribs members, twin brothers

Gary Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name Places ;Iran * Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;United States *Gary (Tampa), Florida *Gary, Ind ...

and

Ryan Jarman Ryan James Jarman is a British musician who is the guitarist and one of the vocalists of the indie rock band The Cribs. The Cribs Jarman formed The Cribs in 2001 with his twin brother, Gary, and younger brother, Ross. The band has released ...

. It received positive reviews from critics.

Critical reception

''New Last Name'' received a score of 71 out of 100 on review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

based on four critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Kyle Kohner of ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' described the album as "a collection of their most infectious pop songs dusted with their inevitable experimental flair" as well as "an irresistible mess made with exploratory abandon and the demeanour to show off and articulate a thing or two about expectations and pandering". '' The Skinny''s Vicky Greer wrote that the album "forgoes the eccentricities of ''

Guitar Music The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with some exceptions) and typically has six or twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the d ...

'' in favor of music that more closely matches their lofty ambitions—out with sarcastic talk-singing, and in with sugar-sweet choruses". ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

''s Sophie Williams found that "the album's overall vibrancy doesn't dim on repeated listens. What's clear is that the playful, 'for the plot' vibe of a band that started on a lark is beginning to transform into something close to remarkable". Andy Steiner of ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...

'' stated that "Courting condenses themselves on ''New Last Name'' into smaller, more straightforward

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

. But the moments when they escape those confines exude with personality and color." Ben Forrest, writing for '' Far Out'' panned the album, calling it "a derivative mess of indie landfill". Forrest said that "in an effort to diversify their sound, certain tracks hint at

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

, but these often feel underwhelming and somewhat forced. Furthermore, the almost impressive lack of subtlety in O'Neill's lyricism means you don't have to think too hard about what the songs might mean, it's all presented fairly obviously and without much depth".

Track listing

Personnel

Courting * Sean Murphy-O'Neill – vocals,

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

, creative direction * Josh Cope – guitars * Sean Thomas – drums * Connor McCann – bass guitar Additional contributors * Robert Whiteley – co-production, mixing * Mike Hillier – mastering,

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

Gary Jarman Gary John Jarman is a British musician, best known as the bassist and one of the singers of the indie rock band The Cribs. Formed in 2002, The Cribs have released eight albums to date, and numerous singles and EPs. their latest three records ...

– additional production on "Throw" and "The Wedding" *

– additional production on "Throw" and "The Wedding" * Sebastian Westwood – additional engineering on "Flex" * Kyler Garrison – cover

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2024 albums Courting (band) albums PIAS Recordings albums