In light of the recent 20th anniversary of the seminal TV series The Sopranos, my infatuation with all things New Jersey-related has only been prolonged by the recent release of New Jersey-native Sharon Van Etten’s 5th studio LP, Remind Me Tomorrow. And, much like Tony Soprano, Van Etten has dusted off the cobwebs of her perturbed past and pursued a more refined and clearer future than ever before - musically speaking, of course.
Contrasting with her previous indie-folk LP in 2014, Are We There, Van Etten instead turned to the highly-sought-after producer John Congleton for this record, who has previously collaborated with the St. Vincent’s and David Byrne’s of today. The pair worked together toward Van Etten's recital of art-punk and electronic-based influences of the 80s and 90s, from Portishead to Suicide to Nick Cave. Swapping out acoustic guitars and folk tones, for synth-layered chord progressions and artsier tendencies, this LP is a career-altering one for Van Etten.
‘I Told You Everything’ eases the listener into Van Etten’s electronic world of bassy, wall-of-sound, synthesised chords in the midst of delving into the first memories of her lover “Sitting at the bar, I told you everything / You said “holy shit you almost died””. For those familiar with her work, surgeoning past relationships has always been, and will always, be her primary game - stipulated right in the LP’s inception. Masked with intricately, well-balanced production overseeing the bassy electronic tones and instrumentation of airy drums and guitars in the background, this track expectedly pulls you into the emotional world.
Continuing Van Etten's electronic nature, the ballad-esque following track ‘No One’s Easy to Love’ contains a much groovier, beefier bass refrain alluding to the chorus which beautifully swirls in lightly-tinged, cascading, high-pitched electronic notes. ‘Comeback Kid’, potentially my personal favourite of the LP, encapsulates the Springsteen-like facade of escaping one's hometown and norms. Perfectly playing upon the lyrics of ‘come back kid’ and ‘comeback kid’, Van Etten showcases her lyrical skills in light of dropping her guitar instrumentation to focus on this particular area. The upbeat, brooding tone of this track stays true to her aforementioned influences - intriguingly incorporating the dark tonalities of Suicide with the upbeat, poppier sheen of Portishead or St. Vincent: a truly enticing sonic blend.
The other single taken from the LP, ‘Jupiter 4’, aptly named after the track's synthesiser, introduces waves of reverberating synth chords. Whilst the track continues Van Etten’s sonic tangent away from her folkier past, it is this point on the LP when one sees an all-too-familiar song trajectory: beginning with synth refrains, adding soft vocal melodies, then light percussion, amalgamating into crescendoed chorus sections. Whilst this track understates its own chorus section and suitably wallows in the bassier tones set out in the verse sections, Van Etten should look to evolve beyond these common trajectories and further experiment with other instrumentation or vocal melodies depicted within her sonic landscapes.
In spite of this, the mid-section to this LP proves its strength with the following track ‘Seventeen’ - an ode to her younger self visiting the nearby city of New York. Along with her accompanying music video, Van Etten grapples with making her younger self aware of the trials and tribulations she faces in the near future. Enveloped with the teenager, the visual nature of the music video depicts a synonymous recent experience with Van Etten becoming a parent, “I see you so uncomfortably alone / I wish I could show you much you’ve grown”. Van Etten goes from strength to strength with the personalisation and conceptions within her lyrical content, not only revelling in the freedom of her younger years but simultaneously conjuring concern for what may occur in the future of such a "fucked up world" for her child.
Whilst the following couple of tracks thereafter, ‘Malibu’ and ‘You Shadow’, offer appropriate slower-paced respites, incorporating organ-based refrains and twangy synth chords, it ultimately conveys a slight lull toward the LP's finishing line. However, Van Etten sticks the landing with the last two tracks, ‘Hands’ and ‘Stay’. Similar to The Killers’ americana-tinged pop, the former track grounds itself in the buzzing bass refrain evolving into an ecstatic chorus section, with Van Etten intimately proclaiming ‘put your hands on your lover, I’ve got my hands up’. With the latter track, the intimacy reverts to an ode for her newly born child. Vowing to never leave him, Van Etten once again showcases her lyrical prowess, noting the ironic futility of romantic relationships in contrast with the everlasting love of its product: a child, and the subsequent maternal bond.
This final, sumptuously-written track neatly ties together a remarkably enticing album for Van Etten compared to her ‘safer’ indie-folk discography of the past. Pushing herself outside of normalities only reflects the past few years for Van Etten: acting in the Netflix series The OA; scoring an indie film; performing in Twin Peaks; and studying a degree in psychology. If anything, we can all take a leaf from Van Etten’s book and push ourselves to progress beyond our comfort zone. Whilst this LP is not devoid of its flaws, namely familiar song progressions and over-reliance on similar synth refrains, Van Etten's impressive work ethic has undeniably bled into this LP. And much like Tony Soprano, I have no doubt she’ll continue to carve her own future path further with her newly-found family (as well as taking up a few more hobbies, because why not?).
7.5/10
Sharon Van Etten's latest LP, Remind Me Tomorrow, is out now and can be found here.
Tickets for her upcoming UK tour are also on sale now, and can be found here.
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