Latest Release
- MAY 28, 2024
- 3 Songs
- Epic · 2010
- Remind Me Tomorrow · 2019
- Are We There · 2014
- Bad Monkey (Apple TV+ Original Series Soundtrack) · 2024
- Remind Me Tomorrow · 2019
- Tramp · 2012
- We've Been Going About This All Wrong · 2022
- Remind Me Tomorrow · 2019
- Are We There · 2014
- Like I Used To - Single · 2021
Essential Albums
- Even though many of the songs on Are We There muse on the pain of difficult relationships (plainly evident in the titles of tunes like “Your Love Is Killing Me” and “I Love You But I’m Lost”), Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten sounds strikingly confident on the follow-up to her stellar 2012 album, Tramp. Whether she’s leading a dusky, after-hours synth-rock dirge (“Break Me”) or mournful piano ballad (the sublime “I Know”), Van Etten is brilliantly self-possessed. Alternating between a chilling whisper and throaty wail, the songwriter's forceful yearning—for sleep, for patience, for a romantic silver lining—unifies much of Are We There. But in such capable hands, suffering has rarely sounded so good.
- Tramp is a study in controlled power. Soft yet muscular, vulnerable yet tough, the music moves at a languid pace while also conveying urgency and unresolved tension. Sharon Van Etten’s striking voice is the album's central feature. Her vocals are commanding throughout, resonating when surrounded by ample space (“Give Out”, “In Line”), in the midst of precise arrangements using strings, keyboards, and artful drumming (“Leonard”, “We Are Fine”), or backed by a squall of electric guitar (“Serpents”). Van Etten closely doubles her vocals on many tracks; by hitting two closely related notes at once, this gives her voice a haunting, ethereal quality. Produced by Aaron Desner of The National, the album also benefits from contributions by drummer Matt Barrick (The Walkmen) and vocals by Zach Condon (Beirut) and Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak). Tramp is a triumph of understated beauty and grace.
Albums
- 2014
- 2022
- 2022
- 2022
Artist Playlists
- The tough and tender troubadour is a bourbon shot with a jasmine tea chaser.
Appears On
More To Hear
- The singer-songwriter talks to Elton John about her album We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong.
- FaceTime interviews with Maggie Rogers and Sharon Van Etten.
More To See
About Sharon Van Etten
Since the late 2000s, Sharon Van Etten has established herself as one of indie music's most celebrated singer-songwriters. ∙ After years of self-releasing hand-painted CDs and playing in small venues around New York City, Van Etten released her debut album, Because I Was in Love, in 2009. ∙ Produced and recorded by The National’s Aaron Dessner, her 2012 album, Tramp, was her first to crack the Billboard 200 chart. ∙ Are We There was one of 2014’s best-reviewed LPs and was later included in Pitchfork’s list of the 200 Best Albums of the 2010s. ∙ In 2016, Van Etten landed her first acting role, on TV drama The OA, and the following year she appeared in the revival of the cult series Twin Peaks. ∙ Her 2019 LP, Remind Me Tomorrow, was another critical smash, reaching the Top 10 of year-end lists from NPR Music, The Guardian, and BrooklynVegan. ∙ Over the course of her career, Van Etten has collaborated with such artists as Spoon, Norah Jones, Local Natives, Perfume Genius, Rufus Wainwright, and Hercules & Love Affair.
- HOMETOWN
- Clinton, NJ, United States
- BORN
- February 26, 1981
- GENRE
- Alternative