Musicians love to write about heartbreak, but Sharon Van Etten doesn’t just write about it; her music and her voice will make you feel the pain of a heartbreak with every note. She even captivated Justin Vernon of Bon Iver who covered one of her most heart-wrenching songs, “Love More,” from her album Epic. Van Etten stands alongside confessional female musicians like Lady Lamb the Beekeeper and Angel Olsen.
After releasing Tramp in 2012, the record that put her in the spotlight, Van Etten is back with her fourth album, Are We There. This record contains plenty of the raw honesty of her first album, Because I Was In Love. Are We There outshines her previous records with its sense of completeness, yet it still carries the melancholic aspect of her music.
Are We There opens with “Afraid of Nothing” which features a heavy, welcoming piano intro with swelling, wavy vocals that pull you in instantly. Van Etten’s musical exploration shows in “Taking Chances,” “You Know Me Well,” and “Break Me,” with drum loops, heavy guitar chords, and organ solos. “Every Time the Sun Comes Up” is also unique as it first emerged as an Omnichord demo.
The gripping and confrontational lyrics, the careful assembly of dense post-rock guitars, the agitated beat, and her hauntingly powerful voice in “Your Love is Killing Me,” create an emotional implosion where Van Etten lets all hell break loose. The record transitions to a mellow feel carried by her whispers that express screams in “Our Love,” along with the long piano pieces of “I Love You But I’m Lost,” and “I Know.”
Are We There celebrates desolation; the arrangement of music and Van Etten’s captivating voice create its dark spectrum. In the rawness of her lyrics, you can hear the struggle to find the balance of being true to yourself, in relationships as well as the world.
