Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory Announce Debut Album, Share Single “Afterlife”
If “Afterlife” is any indication, we can expect an album with an exquisitely textured yet well-controlled soundscapes, a complex and compelling scaffolding that elevates Van Etten and her band’s artistry to new heights.
Sharon Van Etten is utterly timeless, the type of artist who can unite listeners of many generations with the rich timbre of her voice. For much of her career, we’ve known Van Etten as a solo artist, even as she’s collaborated and featured on tracks with the likes of Angel Olsen, Xiu Xiu, The National, Superchunk and others. These days, though, she’s embracing being part of a whole: Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory will release their eponymous debut album on February 7, 2025 via Jagjaguwar. Just today they’ve shared their new single “Afterlife,” along with a gothic, satisfyingly lo-fi black-and-white video directed by fellow artist Susu Laroche, and announced their upcoming European tour.
The Attachment Theory are Jorge Balbi (drums, machines), Devra Hoff (bass, vocals) and Teeny Lieberson (synth, piano, guitar, vocals). Creating an entire album in collaboration with her band was a first for Van Etten, sparked by a practice session in the desert together. “For the first time in my life I asked the band if we could just jam. Words that have never come out of my mouth—ever! But I loved all the sounds we were getting. I was curious—what would happen?” Van Etten recalls.
If “Afterlife” is any indication, we can expect an album with exquisitely textured yet well-controlled soundscapes, a complex and compelling scaffolding that elevates Van Etten and her band’s artistry to new heights. Little flurries of synth ping in and out of the track as it starts, backed by steady, muted drum machine. The chorus unfurls with a gloomy grace as Van Etten wonders, “Will I see you in the afterlife?” The uncertainty of what awaits us after death hangs over the song like a dark cloud, but the yearning inherent to Van Etten and her bandmates’ songwriting allows shafts of light to break through. “Afterlife,” as well as the rest of Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, was recorded at The Church studio in London (which was once home to Eurythmics) and produced by Marta Salogni (Bon Iver, Animal Collective).
Watch the video for “Afterlife” below. You can check out the tracklist and album art for Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory further down, as well as their upcoming European and UK tour dates with special guest Nabihah Iqbal. And don’t forget to listen back to Van Etten’s 2010 Daytrotter session at the very end of the article.
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory Artwork:
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory Tracklist:
Live Forever
Afterlife
Idiot Box
Trouble
Indio
I Canʼt Imagine (Why You Feel This Way)
Somethinʼ Ainʼt Right
Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)
Fading Beauty
I Want You Here
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory Tour Dates
2/28 Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller *
3/1 Stockholm, Sweden @ Fållan *
3/2 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega *
3/4 Berlin, Germany @ Astra Kulturhaus *
3/6 Paris, France @ Le Trianon *
3/7 Antwerp, Belgium @ De Roma *
3/8 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso *
3/10 London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall *
3/11 Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall *
3/12 Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom *
* with special guest Nabihah Iqbal