AOTY #12: Sharon Van Etten - Are We There

In the days leading up to this piece, I was briefly tempted to just list the best quotes from the album and let the words speak for themselves. Such is the songwriting beauty of Sharon Van Etten.

Her fourth studio album, Are We There, is her most raw and emotional to date. It's an open-ended dive into a failing relationship where each listener can surface in a different place, and she likes it that way

Much of the heartbreak on the album is autobiographical, as Sharon recounts a recent breakup caused by her music career and touring. This is most telling on "Break Me," but the honesty continues throughout

The names of the tracks themselves can be just as damning at times, with titles like "Break Me", "I Love You But I'm Lost", and "Nothing Will Change", but never is this more true than on album standout "Your Love Is Killing Me". It's a slow-burning track that puts Sharon's incredible voice on full display as it builds into one of the best choruses of the year:

Break my legs so I won't walk to you
Cut my tongue so I can't talk to you
Burn my skin so I can't feel you
Stab my eyes so I can't see
You like it when I let you walk over me
You tell me that you like it
Your love is killing me
Such intense imagery is common on Are We There, as Sharon pines and pleads over its forty-seven minutes, comparing the relationship to "a half mast flag in wind," and a "brick house built without the sides." Any fond memories of their times together are spoken of only in sadness, and Sharon seems content with wallowing in those feelings, albeit while blessing us with some beautiful vocals

Despite this dark, brooding mood, the album ends on a light note with one of its best tracks, "Every Time The Sun Comes Up". The hurt is still there, as the chorus suggests, but see the tongue-in-cheek second verse:

People say I'm a one hit wonder
But what happens when I have two
I washed your dishes
But I shit in your bathroomAs the track later fades out with a giggling outtake from an earlier song, it shows that Sharon is still kicking, determined not to be consumed by her loss

- Brock Chenier

Come back on the 26th for album #11 and follow along with the list here!