Bouncing between bases in Tennessee, Brooklyn and New Jersey, we’ve heard Van Etten’s voice collaborate with the Antlers, Megafaun, Pickwick and even get free with the Mike Reed Trio. All the while, she has managed to release four records of her own and is currently touring her fourth release, Are We There, off of Jagjaguwar.
We’ve come to know Van Etten as our emotional advocate - the sweet voice behind the bitter medicine that reminds us, “Sometimes things are messed up and that’s alright, so what’s next.” Interviews about Are We There abound with words like “cope” and “catharsis.” This makes sense, since Van Etten claims, “When I sit down and write…I’m going through shit and it’s my therapy for myself.” Therapy is another one of her buzzwords – the singer songwriter swears therapist will be her next job title after she gives up on singer songwriter.
Are We There is as beautiful as it is brooding, encompassing the strange tension of willing fragility that comes with love. The quixotic, the romantic and the brutal align with Van Etten’s sinuous, often tremulous vocal - all veiled beneath piano ballad and folk rock sensibilities. So come on out to the El Rey on the 28th. You’ll dig the show.
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