Last year, Courtney Barnett joined forces with singer-songwriter Vagabon to cover the Tim Hardin-penned 1965 song ‘Reason to Believe’, inspired by Karen Dalton’s interpretation of the classic.
Now, the duo have teamed up once again to deliver a rendition of Sharon Van Etten‘s ‘Don’t Do It’ as part of the 10th anniversary reissue of Van Etten’s 2010 sophomore LP epic.
Set for release Friday, 16th April, epic Ten will also feature covers of songs from the album performed by the likes of Fiona Apple, IDLES, Lucinda Williams and more.
Per the Music, Barnett told Double J that Van Etten was one of her favourite songwriters, saying she was honoured to be invited as part of the project.
“’Don’t Do It’ is powerful and personal, I really didn’t know how to make it my own, in fact, I tried to pick a different song and convinced myself I wasn’t up to the task, but Sharon was quietly supportive the whole time,” Barnett explained.
“In the process of talking vulnerably about the lyrics with her, I had to delve deeper into what the song meant for me. It’s fascinating to hear an artist ruminate on a song that is ten years old and see how it/they have evolved. I think it’s a beautiful thing to celebrate the journey of a song.”
Listen to Courtney Barnett’s cover of ‘Don’t Do It’ featuring Vagabon below.
