Album Review: Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory by Sharon Van Etten

Sharon Van Etten's first album written with her backing band, The Attachment Theory, is a triumph on many fronts. For one, many of this eponymous LP's early tracks are immersively atmospheric, which is all the more impressive because of their masterful minimalism. Openers "Live Forever" and "Afterlife" both begin with straightforward key notes and similarly direct lyricism from Van Etten.

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Leading from the front and with a new musical approach, here is a demonstration of how the camaraderie of a band can revitalize Sixteen years after her 2009 debut album Because I Was In Love, New Jersey native Sharon Van Etten has undergone something of a musical makeover. Since that album, Van Etten has established herself as one of the finest singer-songwriters of the age, with records like 2012’s Tramp and 2014’s Are We There chronicling the workings of the human heart expertly. Her last album, 2022’s We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong seemed to signify a shift in Van Etten’s creative process.

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Sharon Van Etten has invited her crack band behind the curtain for her latest album, resulting in a more varied collection of songs that sprawl from the speakers, and a loose-limbed feel that allows the spotlight to be shared. The most immediate difference is the elevated presence of Teeny Lieberson's synths, evoking dark corners on Live Forever and augmenting the widescreen drama of Afterlife. They're relentless on Somethin' Ain't Right, reaching a thrilling crescendo with Van Etten's guitarwork in interweaving lockstep.

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Sharon Van Etten repeatedly asks this above doom-laden synths and a wobbling bassline that calls to mind Kate Bush's "Mother Stands For Comfort". It's both familiar Van Etten and something totally new. Because this isn't just Sharon Van Etten. For the first time, she's opened her creative process up to others - namely Jorge Balbi, Devra Hoff, and Teeny Lieberson.

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Sharon Van Etten returns for her first proper release since We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong (2022). For the first time, Van Etten wrote the music in collaboration with her band, and the results differ from what we have come to expect. The style is very synth-heavy, and the sonics are sometimes darker and gloomy. Yet, the band still achieve moments of colossal scope.

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Sharon Van Etten, who's studying psychology with the hopes of one day becoming a therapist, lifted the name for her new band, Sharon Van Etton & the Attachment Theory, from a theory devised by British psychiatrist John Bowlby. The revolutionary theory emphasized that the bonds between children and their primary caregivers shape people's relationships later in life. The band's self-titled debut puts Bowlby's theory into practice by treating each musician--and each instrument--as an equal.

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