Young Ones Records

Sharon Van Etten has always been the kind of artist who helps people make sense of the world around them, and�her sixth album, We�ve Been Going About This All Wrong, concerns itself with how we feel, mourn, and reclaim�our agency when we think the world - or at least, our world - might be falling apart. How do we protect the things�most precious to us from destructive forces beyond our control? How do we salvage something worthwhile when�it seems all is lost? And if we can�t, or we don�t, have we loved as well as we could in the meantime? Did we try�hard enough? In considering these questions and her own vulnerability in the face of them, Van Etten creates a�stunning meditation on how life�s changes can be both terrifying and transformative. We�ve Been Going About This�All Wrong articulates the beauty and power that can be rescued from our wreckages.

We�ve Been Going About This All Wrong is as much a reflection on how we manage the ending of metaphorical�worlds as we do the ending of actual ones: the twin flames of terror and unrelenting love that light up with�motherhood; navigating the demands of partnership when your responsibilities have changed; the loss of center�and safety that can come with leaving home; how the ghosts of our past can appear without warning in our present;�feeling helpless with the violence and racism in the world; and yes, what it means when a global viral outbreak�forces us to relinquish control of the things that have always made us feel so human, and seek new forms of�connection to replace them.

We�ve Been Going About This All Wrong is intensely personal, exploring themes like motherhood, love, fear,�what we can and can�t control, and what it means to be human in a world that is wracked by so much trauma. The�track �Home To Me,� written about Van Etten�s son, uses the trademark �dark drums� of her previous work to�invoke the sonic impression of a heartbeat. Synths grow in intensity, evoking the passing of time and the terror of�what it means to have your child move inevitably toward independence, wanting to hold on to them tightly enough�to protect them forever. In contrast, �Come Back� reflects on the desire to reconnect with a partner. Recalling all�the optimism of love felt in its infancy, Van Etten begins with the plain beauty of just her voice and a guitar, building�the arrangement alongside the call to �come back� to anyone who has lost their way, be it from another person or�from themselves. Hovering between darkness and light, �Born� is an exploration of the self that exists when all�other labels - mother, partner, friend - are stripped back.