Courtney Barnett
- Text by Shelley Jones
Launched just last year by a group of UK cassette label owners including Steven Rose of Sexbeat Records, Matt Flag of Suplex Cassettes, and Jen Long of Kissability, Cassette Store Day is raising its game this year, September 27, with a ton more releases and a US branch run by American cassette aficionados Burger Records.
In the run up to the big day, this Saturday, we’re asking some of our favourite Cassette Store Day artists to tell us about their favourite cassettes and explain what cassettes mean to them. First up is Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett.
Cassette Store Day Pop Quiz #1
What’s the first cassette you owned?
Ugly Kid Joe – America’s Least Wanted. Favourite tracks were Mr Record Man and Everything About You.
What was the last cassette you bought?
Bonnie Prince Billy.
What’s your favourite cassette ever?
Janet Jackson – Together Again.
What’s the best cassette artwork you’ve ever seen?
Midnight Oil – Red Sails In The Sunset.
What’s the best mix cassette you ever gave/received?
Nick Williamson made a mixtape for me and my bro. It was the only music we owned and we played it to death. It had EMF, Unbelievable. Jimi, Voodoo Child. Guns N’ Roses, November Rain. Nirvana, Lithium. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Give It Away. Spiderbait, Calypso. Killing In The Name Of…
Why are cassettes awesome?
They are the same shape as a packet of cigarettes but cheaper and better for you.
What release are you most looking forward to this store cassette day?
UV Race – Greatest Hits.
See more from our Cassette Store Day takeover.
Latest on Huck
An epic portrait of 20th Century America
‘Al Satterwhite: A Retrospective’ brings together scenes from this storied chapter of American life, when long form reportage was the hallmark of legacy media.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Bobby Gillespie: “This country is poisoned by class”
Primal Scream’s legendary lead singer writes about the band’s latest album ‘Come Ahead’ and the themes of class, conflict and compassion that run throughout it.
Written by: Bobby Gillespie
Vibrant photos of New York’s Downtown performance scene
‘Balloons and Feathers’ is an eclectic collection of images documenting the scene for over two decades.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Picking through the rubble: Glimpses of hope in the US election results
Clambering through the wreckage of the Harris campaign, delving deeper into the election results and building on the networks that already exist, all hope is not gone writes Ben Smoke.
Written by: Ben Smoke
US Election night 2024 in Texas
Photographer Tom “TBow” Bowden travelled to Republican and Democratic watch parties around Houston, capturing their contrasting energies as results began to flow in.
Written by: Isaac Muk
In photos: “Real life is not black and white” – Polaroid x Magnum Open Call winners
See pictures from the competition organised by two titans of contemporary photography, which called upon artists to reject the digitalisation and over-perfectionism of our modern world, technology and image-making.
Written by: Huck