Heralded as “one of the most exciting talents in Australian country music” by Beat Magazine, and recently crowned Best Female Vocal at the 2023 Australian Country Music People’s Choice Awards, Courtney Keil has released her latest single, Let’s Pretend.
The track precedes the release of Courtney’s long awaited debut album The Good Kind (which was released February 24). Let’s Pretend was born from an early morning zoom co-write between Courtney, acclaimed Nashville-based songstress Sally Barris, and producer Rod McCormack. The trio have proved to be a reckonable creative force, crafting the latest of the NSW Central Coast based singer’s catchy bops. The result of their latest collaboration is an emotive tale about risking it all for true love.
‘‘Let’s Pretend is a vulnerable, heartfelt conversation between a mother and daughter about meeting someone new and hoping he is the one,” explains Courtney. Its verses wrestle a parent’s hard-learned wisdom with the unbridled optimism of youth. “Sometimes you just have to pretend that it will all work out.”
“[It was] recorded in The Music Cellar on the Central Coast (by Rod McCormack), woven together with some of my favourite classic country sounds,” recalls Courtney. Yearning electric guitar riffs collide with the unmistakable sound of dobro to provide a subtle bed for Courtney’s honey-dipped vocals. The sound is reminiscent of a 90s ballad, yet also possesses a sensibility akin to modern day hits.
Courtney will launch her upcoming debut album, The Good Kind, with a live show on February 23 at The Sunken Monkey, Erina. Courtney Keil has once again delivered a heartfelt track worthy of spinning on repeat. While it falls in line with Courtney’s joyful brand of hopeful love songs, her performance on Let’s Pretend is markedly more vulnerable.
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