Courtney Barnett – Mantis & Sugar Plum
Today, GRAMMY-nominated Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett debuts two brand new songs, “Mantis” and “Sugar Plum,” via Mom+Pop Music. The new tracks serve as the third and fourth official singles off her highly anticipated fourth studio album, Creature of Habit, to be released on March 27.
“Mantis” is one of Creature of Habit’s pivotal tracks, documenting the moment of serendipity where a praying mantis visited Barnett’s studio and indirectly provided the inspiration and creative pathway that would lead to the completion of her album.
“Praying mantis on my door, looking for meaning or just any sign at all,” she sings over guitars as bright and urgent as a desert sunrise. It’s Barnett at her most bright-eyed, clear and melodic.
“Sugar Plum” is also a radiant highlight from Creature of Habit. As with many tracks on the album, the song deals with Barnett’s life-long struggle with self-doubt before a sense of optimism and wonder wins out in a transcendent final refrain.
“Mantis is the microcosmic centerpiece of this album, it embodies the message and meaning of every track. It’s a song about searching, and it helped me find my way through Creature Of Habit.
I was feeling particularly lost while I was working on this song. One day, I was standing in the kitchen, making a coffee, when I noticed a little green praying mantis sitting on top of the doorframe. I had never seen one there in the desert house, so I took it as an important sign from the universe. I texted a photo to Stella and she said it’s good luck, look it up! I did a quick search and found it to also represent patience, perseverance and a guide for those who needed direction. I stood and spoke to the mantis for a while, it was a strange and enlightening moment that I’ll never forget. Eventually, I got back to writing, and finally I had the chorus to this song.”
Creature of Habit is a bold, emotionally resonant record that explores the central question: how to get out of your own way so you can truly feel your life. Written in the wake of a relocation from Australia to Los Angeles and the closure of her long-running label Milk! Records, Barnett was grappling with changes that put the future of both her life and career in question. Rather than internalizing those feelings, she decided to bring all this swirling confusion directly into the recording process. With previous singles “Stay in Your Lane,” and “Site Unseen (feat. Waxahatchee)” setting the tone, the album will mark a decisive new chapter in Courtney Barnett’s musical evolution.
Barnett will bring Creature of Habit to the live stage, with a tour kicking off in North America this May. She is set to begin the tour in Austin on May 1st, and will make stops at cities including Brooklyn, Nashville, Boston, and more before closing out the tour in Los Angeles in August.
Courtney Barnett 2026 North American Tour
May 1 – Austin, TX – RADIO/EAST *
May 2 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall *
May 3 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory *
May 5 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium *
May 6 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle *
May 8 – Richmond, VA – The National * JUST ADDED
May 9 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre ^ * LOW TICKETS
May 10 – Washington, DC – The Anthem ^ *
May 12 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore ^ *
May 13 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner ^ *
May 15 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee *
May 16 – St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre *
May 19 – St. Louis, MO – The Hawthorn *
May 20 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall *
May 21 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre *
May 22 – Toronto, ON – History *
August 11 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater +
August 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre +
August 14 – Cincinnati, OH – MegaCorp Pavilion +
August 15 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman +
August 18 – Seattle, WA – Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheater “ + JUST ADDED
August 19 – Portland, OR – Pioneer Courthouse Square “ + JUST ADDED
August 21 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom +
August 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rockwell at The Complex +
August 24 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24 +
August 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore + SOLD OUT
August 27 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore + LOW TICKETS
August 29 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium “ +
^ with Momma | * with Truman Sinclair
“ with Built to Spill | + with Zoh Amba
#courtneybarnett