Sharon Van Etten recently released her eagerly anticipated new album, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, out now via Jagjaguwar.
After not releasing any album singles in the lead up, fans can now listen to the record in its entirety as Van Etten intended.
“From beginning to end, this album is an emotional journey that documents the rollercoaster of the last two years we have all experienced in our own ways,” Van Etten says.
“I hope you will take that ride with me. Thank you for staying by my side.”
To celebrate, she’s also shared the video for album standout, Mistakes, alongside a special record release show, recorded live at Union Pool in New York City. Directed by Ashley Connor, the Mistakes video features many of Van Etten’s old Brooklyn haunts like The Commodore, The Drift, and Union Pool.
Van Etten says We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong articulates the beauty and power that can be rescued from our wreckages, concerning itself with the questions we ask ourselves when we think the world – or at least, our world – might be ending. Have we loved as well as we could? Did we try hard enough? How do we protect the things most precious to us from destructive forces beyond our control? In considering these questions and her own vulnerability in the face of them, Van Etten has created a stunning meditation on how life’s changes can be both terrifying and transformative.
There is darkness here but there is light too, and all of it is held together by Van Etten’s soaring vocals and uncanny ability to both pierce the hearts of her listeners and make them whole again. Things are not dark, she reminds us, only darkish.
We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong is out now.
Image: Michael Schmelling
You can support our work by subscribing to our Patreon
or contributing to our GoFundMe campaign.
