WATCH: New Out Music Star Courtney Barnett Emerges From Australia

Fans of indie rock either already know the name Courtney Barnett or they will soon. The out Aussie singer is one of the most exciting musical stars to emerge on the international stage in recent years. With just one double EP under her belt, Barnett has already garnered accolades from The New York Times and NPR — the latter of which dubbed her “the best lyricist in rock” —  not to mention much hipper music websites that have flipped for the singer-guitarist’s witty, deadpan delivery.

Luckily for American fans, Barnett has just announced a U.S. tour that kicks off in May (she will also be at South by Southwest in March). Her much-anticipated debut album,Sometimes I Sit And Think and Sometimes I Just Sit, hits stores March 23.

What’s so special about Barnett’s music? Simply put, it’s fresh. Barnett specializes in bracing songs about awkward situations and defeat, all told in a nearly spoken-word singing style. If Bob Dylan and Liz Phair had a musical baby, she might sound something like Barnett.

Barnett’s offbeat sensibility evidenced in 2012’s “History Eraser.” With its lo-fi production, infectious rat-a-tat rhythm and typically wry lyrics, it’s a hilarious, touching account of drunken lust. Barnett sings, “You said ‘we only live once’ so we touched a little tongue.” The chorus finds her shyly admitting, “In my brain I rearrange the letters on the page to spell your name.” The video, charming in its simplicity, finds Barnett and her musical cohorts riding kids’ bikes. Watch it here:

Another winner is the weird, woozy “Avant Gardener,” also from 2012. The song provides a first-person account of having an anaphylactic attack smack-dab in the middle of a Melbourne heat wave. It’s not every day you hear a pop star singing of her messy yard, “I guess the neighbors must think we run a meth lab.” Later she realizes those same neighbors have called the paramedics for her and laments, “I’d rather die than owe the hospital.” Watch the video:

Barnett and her partner (and sometimes co-musician), Jen Cloher, together run their own Milk! Records label. (However, Barnett’s album will be released on the larger label Mom + Pop.) Cloher is another formidable Aussie talent with several albums to her name. She also makes a cameo in Barnett’s video for her angsty new single, “Pedestrian at Best,” released just last week. The song finds Barnett wary of too much admiration, admonishing others, “Put me on a pedestal and I’ll only disappoint you.” In the video, which features a cameo by Cloher, Barnett is a clumsy circus clown too inept to please her audience.