Courtney Barnett

We’re pretty sure none of the songs on the gifted indie-rock singer/songwriter’s new album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, are about Washington (she lives in Australia), but “City Looks Pretty” certainly could be. “Everyone’s soaked in animosity / It’s vicious in winter, you never say what you mean,” she coos over a chugging guitar groove. “Friends treat you like a stranger and / Strangers treat you like their best friend, oh well.” Indeed.