Courting is a British electronic rock band based in Liverpool. The group consists of lead vocalist Sean Murphy-O'Neill, drummer Sean Thomas, guitarist Joshua Cope and bassist Connor McCann. Since their formation in 2018, they have released one extended play, '' Grand National'' (2021), and two studio albums, ''

Guitar Music The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strings ...

'' in 2022 and '' New Last Name'' in 2024.

History

Formation

The band formed in 2018 in Liverpool. Throughout 2019 and 2020, the band released multiple singles including "David Byrnes Badside" and "Football", both of which received a limited run double A-side 7" record via Nice Swan Records. They released their debut extended play, ''Grand National'', in April 2021.

''Guitar Music''

On 5 April 2022, Courting released the song "Tennis" as the lead single to their yet-unannounced debut album. The track, described by '' NME'' as tongue-in-cheek, was afforded rotation on BBC Radio 1. The second single, "Loaded", was released on 25 May 2022. On 16 August 2022 the band released the third single "Jumper" in promotion of the album. In an interview with '' DIY'', the band described the song as "an outlier on the album". Sean Murphy-O’Neil further said of the album that it "is a gentle story of true unrequited love, meant to playout like a 2006

romcom Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

." On 23 September 2022 Courting released their debut studio album ''

'' to critical acclaim. ''NME'' described the album as "a raucously fun debut that serves all aces". The albums release was supported by an extensive UK tour.

''New Last Name''

Over the course of 2023, Courting played various one off 'roadtesting' shows around the UK and Europe, debuting many new songs live. On 13 February the band played a sold out show titled The Wedding. Two live tracks from this session, versions of "Tennis" and "Jumper", were later released on the group's Bandcamp page, as well as a cover of the

Icona Pop Icona Pop ( ) is a Swedish electropop duo which formed in 2009, with electro house and indie pop music influences. Its two members, Caroline Hjelt (born 8 November 1987) and Aino Jawo (born 7 July 1986), grew up in Stockholm and create what the ...

and Charli XCX track " I Love It". The band also supported

Circa Waves Circa Waves are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2013. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Kieran Shudall, guitarist Joe Falconer, bassist Sam Rourke, and drummer Colin Jones. History Early years (2013) Shudall met ...

on their 2023 UK tour. On 7 July 2023 Courting released the song "Flex" as the first single off of their upcoming second studio album, which was reviewed positively by critics. In late 2023, the band started teasing a one-off tie-in project, 'The Throwbecks' as a way of promoting the album. The band performed a single show billed as 'The Throwbecks' on 16 November 2021 at the Kazimer in Liverpool. On 8 November 2023, the second single off the album, "Throw", was premiered on BBC Radio 1, as well as the band's second album '' New Last Name'' being announced for a 26 January 2024 release. Despite ''New Last Name'' being a studio album, the band stated that it "came together as a play" and while the record is connected by a narrative, it is mainly a collection of the band's "most contained pop songs, and strangest experiments sat side by side". On 14 December 2023 Courting released "Emily G" as the third single from ''New Last Name''. On 8 January 2024 the album's fourth and final single "We Look Good Together (Big Words)" premiered on BBC Radio 6. On 23 January 2024, Courting did a live session as part of BBC Radio 1's Maida Vaille sessions series, including live renditions of "Throw" and "We Look Good Together". The band also teased fans on social media and on the radio that they would also be covering a song by the 1975. Instead, the group played the opening riff to the groups hit single " It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)" before transitioning into a cover of Olivia Rodrigo's hit single "

Bad Idea Right? "Bad Idea Right?" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo from her second studio album, ''Guts'' (2023). It was released by Geffen Records as the second single from ''Guts'' on August 11, 2023. Rodrigo ...

". On 26 January 2024, Courting released ''New Last Name''.

Style and songwriting motifs

The band has been described as a clash of post-punk and hyperpop. The band has also been described as indie rock, and

art punk Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spirit ...

. The band has become known for their frequent references to car parks throughout their songs, as well as having two of the groups biggest tracks ("Football" and "Tennis") referencing sports in their titles. The band has also previously written about fame, British pub culture and falling in love with robot influencers.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2022) – 43 Scottish Albums, No. 21 UK Independent Albums * '' New Last Name'' (2024) – No. 37 Scottish Albums, No. 9 UK Independent Albums

Extended plays

* '' Grand National'' (2021)

Singles

Other appearances

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Official Website
English rock music groups PIAS Recordings artists Musical groups established in 2018 British musical quartets Musical groups from Liverpool 2018 establishments in the United Kingdom Hyperpop musicians