• News

• All

Jun 09, 2021 By Mark Redfern

Last month two of the best contemporary singer/songwriter/guitarists, Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten, teamed up for a brand new collaborative song, “Like I Used To.” Last night the super-duo were the musical guests on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where, joined by a fantastic backing band, they gave a flawless performance of the song. Watch it below.

“Like I Used To” was shared via a Kimberly Stuckwisch-directed video. The duet easily landed at #1 on our Songs of the Week list.

John Congleton, who has worked with both artists before, produced the rousing anthem, which starts with vocals from Van Etten, before Olsen takes over and then they join forces, trading lines. Olsen and Van Etten have long been mutual admirers, but have never collaborated together.

“Even though we weren’t super close, I always felt supported by Angel and considered her a peer in this weird world of touring,” said Van Etten in a previous press release. “We highway high-fived many times along the way…I finally got the courage in June of 2020 to reach out to see if she would want to sing together. I got greedy and quickly sent her a track I had been working on.”

“I’ve met with Sharon here and there throughout the years and have always felt too shy to ask her what she’s been up to or working on,” added Olsen. “The song reminded me immediately of getting back to where I started, before music was expected of me, or much was expected of me, a time that remains pure and real in my heart.”

There’s no word yet as to whether or not this is a one-off single or part of a larger project.

In May, Olsen released a new box set, Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories, via Jagjaguwar. The set features Olsen’s albums All Mirrors and Whole New Mess, along with a bonus LP titled Far Memory and a 40-page book. All Mirrors came out in 2019 and made it to the top spot on our Top 100 Albums of 2019 list. Whole New Mess came out the following year and was #39 for our Top 100 Albums of 2020.

In April, Van Etten released epic Ten, an anniversary reissue of her 2010 Epic album, via Ba Da Bing. It featured covers of the some of the album’s songs by notable artists, including Fiona Apple, Courtney Barnett and Vagabon, IDLES, and more. Van Etten’s most recent new album, Remind Me Tomorrow, came out in 2019 via Jagjaguwar. Read our in-depth interview with Sharon Van Etten on Remind Me Tomorrow and check out our exclusive photo shoot with her.

Angel Olsen Tour Dates:

Sat. Sept. 11 - Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
Sat. Oct. 30 - San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands

Sharon Van Etten Tour Dates:

Sun. Sept. 26 - Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Festival
Fri. Oct. 29 - San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

Support Under the Radar on Patreon.