Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory - Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory (Album Review)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Written by Graeme Marsh
Photo: Susu Laroche
Doing things in reverse somewhat, Sharon Van Etten’s first LP with the Attachment Theory finds the singer-songwriter parking a successful solo career in order to make music that allows her band to share the limelight for the first time. ‘Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory’ arose from initial jam sessions where her collaborators were invited to run with things and, as it turns out, they didn’t take long to hit the jackpot.
Further underlining the strength of the group’s debut, it’s not as though Van Etten was in any need of a creative reset. Her most recent record, 2022’s ‘We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong’, was a peak in an already sparkling catalogue. But, remarkably, this collaboration has taken things up another notch.
Opener and lead single Live Forever is as stunning as it is brave — a ruminative epic that breaks open in its own time. To begin with such a patient song can backfire but here it works beautifully, recalling the magnificent manner in which No Harm sparked Editors’ ‘In Dream’ to life.
Its synthy, goth-pop approach is rather different to Van Etten’s previous work, not to mention the majority of this album, but shapeshifting is something of a theme here.
So many songs have come and gone that it’s virtually impossible for anything to sound unique, but old blueprints can still be used to build towering structures. With a little imagination the chorus of the excellent Afterlife recalls Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight, for example, while a little Krautrock touch drives the brilliant Idiot Box, conjuring Six.by Seven and a multitude of bands who have utilised its specific, undulating chord sequence — you’ll know it when you hear it.
There’s a bit of psychedelic rock about Southern Life (What It Must Be Like) that could easily sit alongside the best moments on the Verve’s ‘Urban Hymns’, while the sub-three minute blast of Indio borrows Interpol’s guitars and injects them into a cut overflowing with adrenaline. I Want You Here, meanwhile, is a dead ringer for Simple Minds’ Belfast Child, even down to the guitar tones and drum patterns. Recorded at the Church in London, where Eurythmics honed their sound and Depeche Mode crafted elements of ‘Violator’, this track oozes the atmosphere of the place.
Having been conceived via loose jams, it’s no surprise to find that two of the best tracks here are beautifully simple in their construction. Trouble’s undulating core sets up something completely mesmerising and addictive and Somethin’ Ain’t Right is next-level, its bubbling bass and superb guitar work turning it into a quiet masterpiece.
‘Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory’ is a work of art from start to finish. It’s uncanny how anything Van Etten gets involved with turns to gold, from a creative twist like this one to instant-classic one off singles such as 2021’s Like I Used To, her stunning duet with Angel Olsen. Here, though, the girl with the Midas touch shows that it’s never a bad thing to ask your friends for help.
Sharon Van Etten Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon March 10 2025 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
Tue March 11 2025 - MANCHESTER Albert Hall
Wed March 12 2025 - GLASGOW Barrowland Ballroom
Thu August 21 2025 - DUBLIN Collins Barracks
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
