Listen to it on headphones ... and the component parts of that giddiness will stun you: the interplay between simple piano chords and guitar; the soaring strings that fill the chorus line with anticipation; the booming bass drum you can feel in the pit of your stomach.
Van Etten's poetic lyrics continue to focus on navigating the complexities of love, but they hit harder and heavier.
While Are We There can be taxing at points, by its end, you’ll be overcome by the feeling that you’ve shared in something profound.
Van Etten’s fourth album marks the true arrival of a singer who’s been on her way for a long time, and thinking of her as anything less than a career artist is certainly a vast underestimation.
Are We There offers an artist in full command of her voice and her instrument, a woman who knows exactly what she wants to offer listeners and who isn’t afraid to accompany the barest streaks of sunlight with thousands of clouds.
Are We There functions best as the portrait of an artist coming into her own, while hopefully putting some of her demons to rest.
Indeed it is a deep, dragging record; listening to it an experience akin to wading through particularly delicious molasses and it will take the hardy listener a good few attempts to find the key by which they can unlock most of its treasures.
Although it’s melodramatic, the overt sadness in Van Etten’s songs is seldom luxuriant.
The varying styles, sounds and even delivery suggest an artist still exploring the skin she lives in. It’s a truly fascinating listen.
Best of all ... is the manner in which she’s managed to create what feels like a mood piece; her elegant approach to emotionally candid lyricism is nimbly matched by the sound of the record throughout.
Each new album is a little bolder than the last, though the songs remain built around the consistent core of her electric guitar — dirty, slashing, skeletal and yet somehow tasteful — and her impressive voice, which covers the whole range between fragile and formidable.
It’s an album full of resonance, one likely to sink deep into your bones, and it should most certainly soundtrack any kind of romantic road trip.
Are We There is one of those rare albums when you stop listening to the music as simply a combination of chords, melodies and carefully constructed instrumentation, but as essential, emotional communication from one person to another.
Her pain, her flaws, her confidence and her laughter make her one of the most relatable songwriters around today, as human as the rest of us.
Are We There may be her most present-tense album to date, her most immediate and urgent—the peak of a steady upward trajectory.
As on Tramp, Van Etten's lyrics remain similarly frank.
Van Etten has gained in confidence and widened her scope, and the results are impressive.
Are We There is a true breath of fresh air and whilst the subject matter is somewhat bleak, it is presented in such a beautiful way. It is hard to ignore the insane amount of talent that Sharon Van Etten possesses, this truly is a brilliant album and for me it is even better than the wonderful Tramp.
Are We There, unsurprisingly, is superb. Van Etten’s confessional rawness is still thankfully intact and the music is still remarkable, fortified as it is by the sheer absorptive power of one human communicating (seemingly) directly to another through an artistic medium.
Her smoky-blues voice is brilliant, the songs fantastic and hopefully this record will be a commercial success, because it so deserves to be. It’s a record to appreciate from start to finish and one I want to play again as soon as it’s finished.
Indecision and despair may be her favorite subjects to write about, but musically, Van Etten has crafted an assured, resounding triumph.
While still immersed in songs of emotional ravagement and betrayal, the confidence of her performances and spectrum of sounds represented here suggest a complete graduation from troubled, uncertain roots into a place where she can deliver her songs with a powerful, borderless command.
Although there is the occasional overwrought lyric, and nothing ground-breaking here in terms of song structure or instrumentation, the emotion in the delivery makes up for it.
... her magnificent fourth LP, which grows her trademark examinations of romantic decay to cathedral-like scale.
Are We There cuts deep into the skin of its creator and finds Van Etten more exposed than ever.
It's a fraught listen, though, that's for sure, and Van Etten's to be applauded on her boldness and vision, which nudges closer and closer to something truly remarkable and game-changing. If this isn't it, it's damn close.
Are We There is distinct from other albums inspired by heartbreak as it sheds insight into what it is like to stay in a relationship despite being aware of its harmful consequences ... The singer-songwriter’s honesty is commendable and helps to make this album an eye-opening listen.
Are We There isn’t as bleak, but it feels just as pained; Your Love Is Killing Me and I Love You But I’m Lost building epic piano ballads from her emotional angst.
The subtle surprises of vocal tone and melody throughout Are We There indicate her ability to risk sentimentality without succumbing to it.
Are We There is definitely an album that will reveal itself to you with closer attention and multiple listens, as opposed to Tramp, which was a little catchier with its obsessions right from the get-go.
As with her 2012 breakthrough album Tramp, these revelations feel intimate and shocking, and gain further power when Van Etten appears to fall back under her lover's spell. If only the songwriting – which so often conforms to accomplished but trad indie-rock norms – was as brave.
One of the best albums I have heard recently. It is tightly put together with great consistency amongst the tracks. The lyrics on this thing are immaculate and greatly written. The indie and folky instrumentation, with some indietronic influence in the drums, is directly up my alley 100%. I am very impressed with this album.
To what end should we put up with abuse, emotional or physical, from someone we love? When is it time to walk away? It's a difficult question, one that too many people have to ask themselves every day, and it's a shame that there's no easy answer.
Sharon Van Etten tackles this heavy question on her fourth studio album 'Are We There' with, what I presume to be, her own accounts of abuse.
The song Your Love is Killing Me is a brutally close view of the damage being done to Van Etten. This ... read more
Incredibly moving, and melodically very beautiful. This is a wonderful album... Not gonna beat around the bush, this is my AOTY as of June 1st.
My first time hearing anything from this artist. Sharon Van Etten is maybe the purest form of indie folk I’ve heard. If you want to get someone into the genre and show them what it's all about this is the album for you. The lyrics and storytelling didn’t manage to fully capture me on some tracks, but it’s made up for with the great instrumentation. Piano and guitar have never mixed so fluidly and seamlessly than on this album. Sharon’s voice carries most of the emotional ... read more
1 | Afraid of Nothing 4:05 | 92 |
2 | Taking Chances 3:50 | 92 |
3 | Your Love is Killing Me 6:18 | 94 |
4 | Our Love 3:52 | 87 |
5 | Tarifa 4:50 | 92 |
6 | I Love You But I'm Lost 4:18 | 83 |
7 | You Know Me Well 4:31 | 84 |
8 | Break Me 4:01 | 89 |
9 | Nothing Will Change 3:15 | 86 |
10 | I Know 3:35 | 83 |
11 | Every Time the Sun Comes Up 4:22 | 93 |
#2 | / | Drowned in Sound |
#3 | / | Sputnikmusic |
#4 | / | musicOMH |
#5 | / | A.V. Club |
#5 | / | BBC Radio 6 Music |
#5 | / | CMJ |
#5 | / | Uncut |
#6 | / | The 405 |
#7 | / | Q Magazine |
#7 | / | Stereogum |