Enter to win a pair of free tickets to this show below.
Sharon Van Etten with Jana Hunter //
The Independent – San Francisco
June 30th, 2014 (Monday) //
Sharon Van Etten has a knack for speaking directly to you, inviting the listener into her state of mind. The American songstress received plenty of attention for her 2012 LP, Tramp, with its self-assuredness and upbeat nature. Conversely, with her breathtaking new record Are We There, Van Etten wallows beautifully in languid acceptance. With lyrics relating to the ups and downs of relationships and repetitive self-destruction, a surface level reading of the new effort projects an image of an artist mid-depression, refusing to budge for the better. In essence, Are We There is a Siren’s call for help.
But transcendent moments are achieved throughout by channeling obvious pain and confusion into cathartic understanding and renewal. The album begins with a hopeful look to the future, lending an echo that lasts throughout, when Van Etten proclaims, “I can’t wait ’til we’re afraid of nothing.” Van Etten’s voice consistently shifts between standard singing and using her voice as an impactful instrument, often within the same word. For example in “Your Love is Killing Me”, Van Etten delivers the line “You like it when I let you walk over me” as if she’s standing up to a hurricane and compelling it to change course. It’s that powerful. She’s sonically more strong than ever, something that’s intriguing when juxtaposed with such self-depreciating words.
With a record that deserves to appear on many top 10 lists come years’ end, it’s not a time to sleep on seeing Sharon Van Etten live. Her show this Sunday at The Independent in SF is already sold out, but tickets are still available for Monday’s concert.
Buy tickets if you know you want to go!

Win 2 Free Tickets!
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