For all the attention that was paid to her 2012’s Tramp, Sharon Van Etten is an artist with a manifest hunger to turn another corner. Compelled by a restless spirit, Van Etten is continuously challenging herself. Now, the result is Are We There, a self-produced album of intimacy.

While most musicians are quite happy to leave the production end of things to someone else, with Are We There, Van Etten knew it was time to make a record entirely on her terms. The saying goes “fortune favors the bold” and yet this boldness had to be tempered. For this, Van Etten found a kindred spirit in veteran music producer Stewart Lerman whose expertise gave her the freedom to make Are We There the way she imagined. Originally working together on Boardwalk Empire, they gently moved into new roles, rallying around the idea of collaborating in Lerman’s studio in New Jersey.

A sign of Van Etten in full stride, writing, producing and performing from a place that seems almost mythical, were it not so touchable and real. Always direct, and never shying away from even the most personally painful narratives. Many of the songs deal with seemingly impossible decisions, anticipation, and then resolution. She sings of the nature of desire, memory, of being lost, emptiness, of promises and loyalty, fear and change, of healing and the true self, violence and sanctuary, waiting, of silence. The artist who speaks in such a voice is urging us to do something, to take hold and to go deeper.

Sharon Van Etten’s Are We There is out May 27^th on Jagjaguwar.

Sharon Van Etten’s Are We There Tracklisting:

01. Afraid of Nothing

02. Taking Chances

03. Your Love Is Killing Me

04. Our Love

05. Tarifa

06. I Love You But I’m Lost

07. You Know Me Well

08. Break Me

09. Nothing Will Change

10. I Know

11. Every Time the Sun Comes Up

 

Sharon Van Etten Tour Dates:

Thu. May 8 – Northampton, MA  @ Iron Horse Music Hall

Fri. May 9 – Hudson, NY @ Helsinki Hudson

Sat. May 10 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre

Sun. May 11 – Hamden, CT @ Ballroom at the Outer Space

Sun. May 25 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Grand Salon (Nuits Botanique)

Wed. May 28 – Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse

Fri. May 30 – Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound

Sun. June 1 – Koln, DE @ Studio 672

Mon. June 2 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub

Tue. June 3 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet

Thu. June 5 – London, UK @ KOKO

Wed. June 11 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair

Thu. June 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall at Williamsburg (Northside Festival)

Fri. June 13 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Sat. June 14 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Tue. June 17 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

Wed. June 18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

Thu. June 19 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small’s

Fri. June 20 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom

Sat. June 21 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In

Tue. June 24 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater

Wed. June 25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge

Sat. June 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre

Sun. June 29 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Mon. June 30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Wed. July 2 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir

Thu. July 3 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir

Sat. July 5 – George, WA @ Sasquatch Festival

Sun. July 6 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre

Tue. July 8 – Calgary, AB @ Republik

Wed. July 9 – Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room

Mon. July 14 – Fargo, ND @ Aquarium

Wed. July 16 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

Thu. July 17 – Madison, WI @ University of Wisconsin

Fri. July 18 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival

 

http://sharonvanetten.com/