Sharon Van Etten Breaks Down the Inspirations for Her New Album

Sharon Van Etten is an old hand in the recording studio, but for her latest album, she tried an entirely different approach: jamming.

The idea came to Van Etten, 43, while she and her band were rehearsing for their first tour after the coronavirus pandemic. “By the time we worked through all the songs, I just felt a little tired of myself and I knew that I needed a break from hearing myself,” she exclusively told Us Weekly. “And so I asked the band if we could take a break, and then when we reconvened, could we just jam? And everyone laughed at me ’cause I hate that word and I don’t even like saying it even in this context, but I’ve never really done that. And I felt like we were developing such a sound that I wanted to explore it without having all these predetermined songs to it.”

Two of the songs that came out of that jam — “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” and “I Can’t Imagine (Why You Feel This Way)” — ended up on Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, which dropped Friday, February 7. The album is technically Van Etten’s seventh, but it’s the first where she’s been credited alongside her band.

“I was very inspired by that [jam session] and I knew that was gonna be the next step for me creatively and personally,” she explained. “Just to learn how to let go of my process and trust the band and incorporate them and show them a bit more love.”

In the studio, that meant that Van Etten “wasn’t playing as much” as she would have been if she’d been writing alone.

“I was guiding, and we were guiding each other,” she recalled. “As I would hear a line that someone was working on, I would say, ‘OK, this is the thing.’ I would point to that and communicate that this is the center of the song right now. … It was more like the sonic trust fall of letting go and letting other people help you.”

Fans have already gotten to experience the fruits of that collaborative process themselves, as Van Etten has been introducing The Attachment Theory via her newsletter. In turn, the band members — Jorge Balbi, Devra Hoff and Teeny Lieberson — have been sharing playlists of songs that inspired the record. Last month, for example, Lieberson shared a “mixtape” of songs that she described as a “safe haven.” (Her picks included tracks by ESG, Haruomi Hosono, Doechii, Cocteau Twins and more.)

Van Etten cited The Cure as one of the biggest influences for the album, as she and the band happened to see them perform in L.A. while they were still writing songs.

“I feel like we all have this general anxiety right now and this angst,” she said. “And I love everything I’ve made in the past. I’m proud of most of it. I know I’m a little late in life to have a band, but I’m so ready. And I’m very inspired by the styles and the sounds that we’re making together. It’s a collective sound that inspired me just by leaning into each other’s zones sonically and overall feeling very angsty.”

The Cure was just one of many U.K. artists that became a touchstone for the album, which was recorded at The Church Studios in London. The studio was formerly owned by Eurythmics member Dave Stewart, and it’s where he and Annie Lennox recorded their 1983 album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).

“In general, the palette was Joy Division, The Cure, Siouxsie [Sioux], PJ [Harvey], Portishead,” Van Etten told Us. “I’m sure not a lot that would surprise people, but there’s some Nine Inch Nails in there, so not all U.K. — also some ’90s influences. Like, ‘Live Forever’ is very Nine Inch Nails to me, but mixed with a bit of Neu! That’s just very generally.”

“Live Forever” is one of Van Etten’s favorite songs on the album, though she’s quick to note “they’re all like my children and I love them differently.” That track, however, sticks out because of how much fun she has singing it.

“As a singer, the arc of the song and the complexity of where it ends up, it’s the most exciting to me,” she explained. “I know it’s not the most immediate, but it’s very satisfying to hear everybody playing where all the little parts and changes come in, and I feel like I give nods to my influences without ripping them too heartily. It’s really fun to perform when I can nail it. That’ll be a really difficult one [to play] live. But I’m up for the challenge.”

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory is out now. The band’s North American tour kicks off April 24 in Atlanta. Tickets are available here.