Sharon Van Etten Celebrates 10 Years of “Are We There”
![Sharon Van Etten Celebrates 10 Years of "Are We There" Sharon Van Etten Celebrates 10 Years of "Are We There"](https://northerntransmissions.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/unnamed-44.jpg)
Sharon Van Etten is celebrating 10 years of her Are We There album, one of her most powerful and timeless collections, and announces the Are We There (Anniversary Edition), out May 31st, and “Every Time The Sun Comes Up” 7”, out August 23rd via Jagjaguwar.
The Are We There (Anniversary Edition) will be available in standard black, gray, and silver tri-color split vinyl and the 7” will feature “Every Time The Sun Comes Up (Alternate Version)” backed with “Every Time The Sun Comes Up (Live at Sydney Opera House).”
For all the attention that was paid to her 2012 break-through album Tramp, Sharon Van Etten returned to the studio ready and eager to turn another corner, delve deeper, and write with more honesty and vulnerability than ever. The result of that effort was Are We There, a self-produced album of exceptional intimacy, sublime generosity, and immense breadth. From the opening chords of the first song, “Afraid of Nothing,” listeners witnessed a new awareness – a sign of Van Etten in full stride, writing, producing, and performing from a place that seemed almost mythical. It’s a unique power of Van Etten’s; she creates a bond with the listener that few contemporary musicians can match. Always direct, and never shying away even from the most personally painful narratives, many of the songs deal with seemingly impossible decisions, anticipation, and then resolution. Amidst brutal honesty, Van Etten finds moments of levity, as she always does. Her voice and words are as powerful today as ten years ago, and they’re sure to endure for years to come.
“Every Time the Sun Comes Up” lifts the album, completing the world Van Etten let us into and resetting us gently for whatever may follow. As described by T Magazine, “the song’s levity is a highlight of the album, with the kind of swagger both Loretta Lynn and Rihanna might envy. It’s as daring as anything she’s recorded.” Since its release, “Every Time The Sun Comes Up” has become an indelible staple of Van Etten’s live shows. In conjunction with today’s release, she reveals the new, upbeat alternative version with an accompanying lyric video. Recorded remotely, Van Etten asked her drummer, Jorge Balbi, to produce it based off of the live arrangement the band has been playing for a few years now. “This version of ‘Every Time The Sun Comes Up’ developed as the band and I were really honing our sound,” comments Van Etten. “We were rehearsing for the We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong Tour, leaning into some of our influences to give the song a more current feel to where we were all creatively at the time. We performed it live and the audience really responded to our new Joy Division-like spin on it. We had the idea to release it to celebrate the Are We There 10-year anniversary and breathe new life into it, which feels like the perfect time.” This version features Van Etten (vocals, guitar, foot tapping), Balbi (drums, percussion), Charley Damski (guitar), Devin Hoff (bass) and Teeny Liebrson (keys, vocals).
Pre-order Are We There (Anniversary Edition) HERE.
Latest Reviews
Tracks
Advertisement
Looking for something new to listen to?
Sign up to our all-new newsletter for top-notch reviews, news, videos and playlists.