Since Sharon Van Etten’s quiet folk debut in 2009, the New Jersey singer and songwriter has steadily become one of the most powerful voices in indie rock. With each release, Van Etten’s music grew louder, more self-assured, more muscular. Her latest, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, features her excellent touring band as collaborators. These four songs appear in chronological order for a rapid-fire primer of the evolution of Sharon Van Etten.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Have You Seen”
“Have You Seen” appears on Van Etten’s 2009 debut, Because I Was In Love. The album features minimal production, often with nothing more than Van Etten’s voice accompanied only by her acoustic guitar. Her performances are tentative and echo the anxiety she’s working through in the songs. Each little moment builds upon what came before, resulting in cascading episodes that seem insurmountable. Though she’s moved far beyond quiet folk music, these intimate recordings reveal the early, wavering stages of someone who became a self-possessed and leading voice in indie rock.
“Every Time The Sun Comes Up”
If you need to introduce Van Etten to a friend who’s never heard her music, this is a good place to begin. A recording studio break turned into a party, and a buzzed Van Etten took to the mic and recorded her best Bruce Springsteen impersonation. The track recalls the dream-folk of Mazzy Star as Van Etten relays the daily rituals we all endure. Also, check out the 10th-anniversary alternate version, which sounds closer to her post-punk work with The Attachment Theory.
“Seventeen”
In one of her best-known songs, Van Etten explores her former self through the lens of how her old neighborhood has changed. In the music video for “Seventeen”, she visits former hangouts that have since been torn down in place of new businesses. Van Etten felt lost in a city she could no longer afford to live in. Ultimately, “Seventeen” is a song about transformation, something no amount of nostalgia can stop. Her own transformation can be heard in the cathartic scream pushing this track to its emotional height.
“Idiot Box”
While rehearsing with her band, Van Etten asked them to jam. She was a little tired of hearing her own voice and wanted to make a collaborative record. Her early folk beginnings now feel distant against the synth-driven post-punk of The Attachment Theory. Part Joy Division, part Siouxsie And The Banshees, “Idiot Box” contains one of Van Etten’s most poignant lyrics: “All that skin against the glass / All these things we think we lack / All this time we can’t get back.”
Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
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