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Jun 17, 2015 Sharon Van Etten By J. Pace

Here’s a quick little EP from the ever-industrious Sharon Van Etten, hot on the heels of last year’s Are We There, which was deservedly heaped in acclaim. Van Etten has definitely mastered her thing, effortlessly employing her warm and occasionally acrobatic voice for wilting, wry explorations of human relations in all their disappointingness. The title track alone is worth the price of admission here, strumming along right for the heart, bursting forth with Van Etten’s trademark vocal harmonies. It’s stirring, as are the other four tunes here, the last of which is a Velvet Underground-y live rendition of “Tell Me” from 2012’s Tramp.

Van Etten always gets credit for songwriting—rightfully so; she’s brilliant—but she always seems to nail the production as well. While Are We There lit up the room in bundles of different textures, this little batch of songs is very much of a kind. Simple, classic R&B arrangements—super-warm, super-pure, with the piano and organ dictating much of the feel and a humble string section punctuating perfectly. It’s exactly the right medium for what doesn’t come across as a buncha leftovers from Are We There, but instead another long, agitated follow-up sigh Van Etten just had to let out. (www.sharonvanetten.com)

Author rating: 7/10