{{Short description|Canadian indie rock band}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = The Courtneys | years_active = 2010–present | origin = Vancouver, BC, Canada | genre = Indie rock, indie pop | label = Flying Nun, Burger, Hockey Dad Records, Gnar Tapes | associated_acts = Puberty, Shearing Pinx, Makeout Videotape, Gum Country, Tegan and Sara | current_members = Sydney Koke<br/>Courtney Loove<br/>Jen Twynn Payne }}
'''The Courtneys''' is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2010. The band is composed of Sydney Koke (bass, vocals), Courtney Loove (guitar, vocals), and Jen Twynn Payne (drums, lead vocals).
==History== Sydney Koke and Jen Twynn Payne met in their hometown of Calgary, Alberta, in 2007.<ref name="Rookie">{{cite web|url=http://www.rookiemag.com/2013/06/nu-sundae/ |title=Nu Sundae |date=10 June 2013 |website=Rookie |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref><ref name="Bell">{{cite web|url=http://themusic.com.au/interviews/all/2015/02/19/the-courtneys-sydney-koke-steve-bell/ |last=Bell |first=Steve |title=Why Keeping Creativity Out Of The Studio Is The Best Thing For Everyone |date=19 February 2015 |website=theMusic.com.au |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> After becoming housemates, Twynn Payne began learning to play drums with then-boyfriend Patrick Flegel.<ref name="Carroll">{{cite web|url=http://www.westword.com/content/printView/8937638 |last=Carroll |first=Elle |title=Lo-Fi Pop Act the Courtneys Survived Vancouver's Rocky DIY Scene |publisher=Voice Media Group |date=4 April 2017 |website=Westword |access-date=19 January 2018 }}</ref> Koke was impressed with her abilities and suggested they start a band, which became Puberty, a post-punk group with guitarist Nicole Brunel.<ref name="Valentino">{{cite web|url=http://conversationswithbianca.com/2015/02/16/the-courtneys/ |last=Valentino |first=Bianca |title=The Courtneys: Your New Favourite Band |date=16 February 2015 |website=Conversations with Bianca |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref><ref name="Swanson">{{cite web|url=http://theyyscene.com/2009/05/07/ffwd-sudden-changes/ |last=Swanson |first=Dane |title=Sudden Changes |date=7 May 2009 |website=The YY Scene |access-date=20 January 2018 }}</ref>
Puberty disbanded when Koke enrolled in a neuroscience PhD program at Duke University.<ref name="Carroll" /> Twynn Payne moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, shortly after to play drums in Makeout Videotape. Twynn Payne and Loove met and formed a synth-pop duo called Girls in Love, which quickly disbanded.<ref name="Barlow">{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-courtneys-are-slackers-leading-by-example/ |last=Barlow |first=Eve |title=The Courtneys Are Slackers Leading by Example |publisher=Vice |date=13 August 2017 |website=Noisey |access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="Phenicie">{{cite web|url=https://cincymusic.com/blog/2014/04/the-courtneys-are-now-the-cool-clique |last=Phenicie |first=Courtney |title=The Courtneys are Now the Cool Clique |date=23 April 2014 |website=CincyMusic |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> Koke dropped out of Duke and moved to Vancouver to start a new band with Twynn Payne, who suggested they enlist Loove as the guitarist. The three jammed together for a summer before Loove moved to Montreal, Quebec, for a new job. After she returned eight months later,<ref name="Rookie" /> they became more serious, playing their first official show in 2011 as The Courtneys at Pat's Pub for a friend's birthday party.<ref name="Worzalla">{{cite web|url=http://elevenpdx.com/new-music/aural-fix/the-courtneys |last=Worzalla |first=Wendy |title=The Courtneys |date=1 November 2014 |website=Eleven PDX |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref><ref name="deBoer">{{cite web|url=http://www.citr.ca/discorder/archive/the-courtneys/ |last=de Boer |first=Alex |title=The Courtneys |publisher=CiTR |date=2 June 2013 |website=Discorder Magazine |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> The band's name is both an homage to Loove ("the most modest member of the band"<ref name="WayTwo">{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-courtneys-belong-in-the-arms-of-harrison-ford/ |last=Way |first=Mish |title=The Courtneys Belong in the Arms of Harrison Ford |publisher=Vice |date=16 May 2013 |website=Noisey |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref>) as well as a clique of "cool girls" at Koke's elementary school.<ref name="Phenicie" />
Their first album, ''The Courtneys'', was intended to be a four-song EP.<ref name="Kloke">{{cite web|url=https://nowtoronto.com/music/sydney-koke-bassist-in-fuzz-pop-band-the-courtneys/ |last=Kloke |first=Joshua |title=Sydney Koke, bassist in fuzz-pop band the Courtneys |date=29 May 2014 |website=Now |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> They ran ahead of schedule and recorded more material, and completed recording, mixing, and mastering within three days.<ref name="deBoer" /> It was released by Hockey Dad Records, and was quickly sold out of its initial pressing.<ref name="Jessett">{{cite web|url=http://www.coneysloft.com/magazine/2017/6/5/interview-the-courtneys |last=Jessett |first=Elliot |title=Interview: The Courtneys |date=5 June 2017 |website=Coney's Loft |access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref>
Their second album, ''The Courtneys II'', developed over the next three years as the band refined their songcraft, revising and refining songs as they explored "what makes an ideal structure of a song."<ref name="Kemp">{{cite web|url=http://www.thelesigh.com/2017/02/interview-courtneys.html |last=Kemp |first=S. Frances |title=Interview: The Courtneys |date=16 February 2017 |website=The Le Sigh |access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref> Their experimentation also affected the sound of the record; they auditioned six different mix engineers for the record,<ref name="Jessett" /> and instructed their mastering engineer to make it sound "like Teenage Fanclub on ''Bandwagonesque''."<ref name="Barlow" /> The album garnered acclaim for its sound; ''Rolling Stone'' editor Rob Sheffield named it one of his top albums of 2017.<ref name="Sheffield">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/rob-sheffields-top-20-albums-of-2017-w514308/the-courtneys-ii-w514328 |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |title=Rob Sheffield's Top 20 Albums of 2017 |date=20 December 2017 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref>
==Style== ===Musical style=== The Courtneys describe their style as "slacker pop" and "artisanal grunge;"<ref name="Hogg">{{cite web|url=http://www.citr.ca/discorder/february_2017/the-courtneys-3/ |last=Hogg |first=Evangeline |title=The Courtneys: Effortlessly Courtneys |publisher=CiTR |date=4 February 2017 |website=Discorder Magazine |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> critics have categorized them as jangle-pop,<ref name="Rookie" /><ref name="PellyOne">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/146-down-is-up-09-the-courtneys-puce-mary-hysterics/ |last=Pelly |first=Jenn |title=Down Is Up 09: The Courtneys, Puce Mary, Hysterics |date=27 November 2013 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> garage pop,<ref name="Carroll" /><ref name="Trewn">{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1922582/the-courtneys-minnesota/music/ |last=Trewn |first=Pranav |title=The Courtneys - "Minnesota" |date=1 February 2017 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=24 January 2018 }}</ref> and surf rock.<ref name="RearickTwo">{{cite web|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/02/20/the-courtneys-ii-review/ |last=Rearick |first=Lauren |title=Album of the Day: The Courtneys, "II" |date=20 February 2017 |website=Bandcamp |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> They are most commonly associated with the Dunedin sound, particularly Flying Nun artists such as The Clean;<ref name="Rookie" /><ref name="PellyOne" /> they became the first non-New Zealand band to sign with the label after thirty-five years.<ref name="Camp">{{cite web|url=http://clrvynt.com/the-courtneys-silver-velvet/ |last=Camp |first=Zoe |title=The Courtneys Shake Out the Jangly Jams on 'Silver Velvet' |date=21 November 2016 |website=CLRVYNT |access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref> They cite Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., and Fugazi<ref name="Bell" /><ref name="deBoer" /><ref name="Yaeger">{{cite web|url=https://nylon.com/articles/band-crush-the-courtneys |last=Yaeger |first=Jackie |title=Band Crush: The Courtneys |date=16 September 2014 |website=Nylon |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> as inspirations, with Teenage Fanclub, Big Star, and Phoenix cited as particular influences on ''II''.<ref name="PellyTwo">{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22934-ii/ |last=Pelly |first=Jenn |title=The Courtneys II |date=25 March 2017 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref><ref name="FasterLouder">{{cite web|url=http://fasterlouder.junkee.com/courtneys-take-us-deep-dive-new-album-courtneys-ii/871050 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220145724/http://fasterlouder.junkee.com/courtneys-take-us-deep-dive-new-album-courtneys-ii/871050 |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 February 2017 |title=The Courtneys take us on a deep dive through their new album 'The Courtneys II' |publisher=Junkee Media |date=20 February 2017 |website=FasterLouder |access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="AMBY">{{cite AV media | people = Atout, Alicia | title = Interview with The Courtneys | medium = YouTube video | publisher = A Music Blog, Yea? | date = 18 August 2016 | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D7GZ6qTbow}}</ref> Shoegaze has also been cited as an influence, largely due to Courtney Loove's unique open tuning.<ref name="Kemp" />
Lyrically, the band has been noted for their pop culture references. These include actors ("K.C. Reeves", about Keanu Reeves), movies and television shows (including "Lost Boys"<ref name="Edwards">{{cite web|url=https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-magical-teen-bedroom-world-of-the-courtneys/Content?oid=20948356 |last=Edwards |first=Robin |title=The Magical Teen-Bedroom World of the Courtneys |date=5 November 2014 |website=The Stranger |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> and "90210"), and other musicians (the "mandatory suicide" refrain from "Manion" is a reference to the Slayer song of the same name;<ref name="RearickOne">{{cite web|url=http://www.thegreyestates.com/blog/since-hearing-90210-from-the-courtneys-these |last=Rearick |first=Lauren |title=Interview: The Courtneys |date=15 July 2013 |website=The Grey Estates |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> "Nu Sundae" is an oblique reference to Vancouver band Nü Sensae).<ref name="Zaillian">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.seattletimes.com/soundposts/2014/05/01/thecourtneys/ |last=Zaillian |first=Charlie |title=Lots to love about The Courtneys |date=1 May 2014 |website=The Seattle Times |access-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref> ''The Courtneys II'' marked a change from the referential to the more personal; it's claimed to be "75% about crushes."<ref name="PellyTwo" />
===Visual style=== Much like their songs, their videos are often referential. Their video for "90210" is an homage to Eddy Current Suppression Ring's "Which Way to Go,"<ref name="WayOne">{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/watch-the-courtneys-beachy-90210-and-feel-extra-shitty-about-the-fact-its-january/ |last=Way |first=Mish |title=Watch the Courtneys' Beachy "90210" and Feel Extra Shitty About the Fact it's January |publisher=Vice |date=14 January 2013 |website=Noisey |access-date=17 January 2018 }}</ref> while "Silver Velvet" is a remake of Bailter Space's "Splat."<ref name="Hunt">{{cite web|url=http://diymag.com/2016/12/16/the-courtneys-silver-velvet-video-neu-pick-premiere |last=Hunt |first=El |title=The Courtneys Sugar-coat Infatuation with 'Silver Velvet' |date=16 December 2016 |website=DIY |access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref>
The band also takes a distinctive approach to marketing and merchandise. Their logo was developed for their rec baseball team (also called "The Courtneys"), whose baseball cap is visible on the cover of their first album.<ref name="Barlow" /><ref name="Zaillian" /> They have released other unique merchandise, including an air freshener.<ref name="Conner">{{cite web|url=https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/music/qa-courtney-loove-of-vancouver-band-the-courtneys |last=Conner |first=Shawn |title=Q&A: Courtney Loove of Vancouver band The Courtneys |date=2015-07-09 |website=The Vancouver Sun |access-date=2023-05-16 }}</ref>
==Discography== ===Studio albums=== {{Discography list | Type = studio | Name = The Courtneys | Released = 7 June 2013 | Format = LP, CD, cassette, digital download | Label = Hockey Dad Records (LP, CD, digital), Burger Records and Gnar Tapes (cassette) }} {{Discography list | Type = studio | Name = The Courtneys II | Released = 17 February 2017 | Format = LP, CD, cassette, digital download | Label = Flying Nun Records (LP, CD, digital), Burger Records (cassette) }}
===EP=== {{Discography list | Type = ep | Name = K.C. Reeves | Released = 20 April 2012 | Format = Cassette | Label = Green Burrito Records }}
===Singles=== {{Discography list | Type = single | Name = 90210 | Released = 27 December 2012 | Format = Digital download | Label = Self-released }} {{Discography list | Type = single | Name = Lost Boys | Released = 22 January 2014 | Format = EP, cassette, digital download | Label = Hockey Dad Records (EP), Burger Records (cassette) }} {{Discography list | Type = single | Name = Mars Attacks (feat. Young Braised) | Released = 4 November 2014 | Format = EP, digital download | Label = Hockey Dad Records }}
===Other appearances=== {{Discography list | Type = compilation | Name = CiTR Pop Alliance Compilation, Vol. 3 | Released = 5 March 2013 | Format = LP | Tracks = "90210" | Other info = CiTR compilation, limited to 300 copies }}
{{Discography list | Type = compilation | Name = Shake!Fest 3 | Released = 30 June 2016 | Format = Cassette, digital download | Tracks = "Lost Boys (Extended Version)" | Label = Shake! Records, Sweety Pie Records, Toska Tapes }}
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links== * [https://thecourtneys.bandcamp.com/ Bandcamp] * [http://facebook.com/thecourtneys Facebook] * [https://twitter.com/3Courtneys Twitter]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtneys, The}} Category:Canadian indie rock groups Category:Canadian punk rock groups Category:Flying Nun Records artists Category:Musical groups established in 2010 Category:Musical groups from Vancouver Category:Canadian musical trios Category:2010 establishments in British Columbia Category:Female-fronted musical groups