Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory launch with epic single ‘Afterlife’ and details of self-titled debut album and UK, European tour
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory have announced their self-titled debut album, as well as a tour of the UK and Europe. Find details below, and check out the new single ‘Afterlife’.
Set for release on February 7 via Jagjaguwar, the new album sees Van Etten join forces with her band – comprised of Jorge Balbi (drums, machines), Devra Hoff (bass, vocals), and Teeny Lieberson (synth, piano, guitar, vocals).
A major theme in the release is the feeling of freedom that comes from letting go and the new approach emerged while rehearsing in the desert, when Van Etten invited her bandmates into the creative process.
Recorded at Eurythmics’ former studio, The Church and produced by Marta Salogni (Bjork, Bon Iver), the album is today (October 23) previewed by a lead single called ‘Afterlife’.
The song begins with a steady synth beat, as Van Etten’s ethereal vocals gradually swirl in. From there, the track steadily develops into an epic climax. “Will you see me in the afterlife?/Will you tell me what you think it’s like/Come and tell me it’ll be alright?/Will I see you in the afterlife?” she sings. Check it out below.
“Sometimes it’s exciting, sometimes it’s scary, sometimes you feel stuck. It’s like every day feels a little different – just being at peace with whatever you’re feeling and whoever you are and how you relate to people in that moment,” the singer said of the theme of the album.
“If I can just keep a sense of openness while knowing that my feelings change every day, that is all I can do right now. That and try to be the best person I can be while letting other people be who they are and not taking it personally and just being. I’m not there, but I’m trying to be there every day.”
She continued, recalling the writing process: “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?” In an hour we wrote two songs that ended up becoming ‘I Can’t Imagine’ and ‘Southern Life.’”
You can pre-order the self-titled album here, and find the artwork and tracklist below.
The ‘Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory’ tracklist is:
1. ‘Live Forever’
2. ‘Afterlife’
3. ‘Idiot Box’
4. ‘Trouble’
5. ‘Indio’
6. ‘I Can’t Imagine (Why You Feel This Way)’
7. ‘Somethin’ Ain’t Right’
8. ‘Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)’
9. ‘Fading Beauty’
10. ‘I Want You Here’
As well as announcing news of the new album and lead single, today also sees the singer and her band announce a series of tour dates for 2025.
All taking place across the UK and Europe, the tour begins around the same time as the album release – kicking off at the end of February with a show at Rockefeller in Oslo (February 28). From there, they’ll make stops in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and more, before heading over to the UK to close off the run.
These begin with a show at the Royal Albert Hall in London, scheduled for March 10. This is followed by a penultimate show at Manchester’s Albert Hall, and a final gig at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow, taking place on March 11 and 12 respectively.
Nabihah Iqbal will be joining as a special guest for the dates, and tickets go on sale next Wednesday (October 30) at 9am local time. Visit here for tickets and find a full list of new dates below.
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory’s 2025 tour dates are:
FEBRUARY
28 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller
MARCH
1 – Stockholm, SE @ Fållan
2 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
4 – Berlin, DE @ Astra Kulturhaus
6 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon
7 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
8 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
10 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall
11 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
12 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom
The new moniker was introduced to fans at Van Etten’s recent gigs, including an intimate, low-profile show in London this July.
Since playing the gig in the capital – which marked her first live appearance in over a year – Van Etten has performed a show at The Viper Room in Los Angeles, California and supported Mitski at the Hollywood Bowl.
The musician released her sixth and latest studio album, ‘We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong’, in May 2022. Last year, she shared ‘Quiet Eyes’ from the Past Lives soundtrack and the Courtney Barnett co-written single ‘Close To You’.
In a review of ‘We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong’, NME wrote: “Standout ‘Mistakes’ is Van Etten at her best, its thumping chorus ideal for banishing lockdown-induced rumination on your regrets […]
“Although it lacks the immediacy of 2018’s hookier ‘Remind Me Tomorrow’, this unyielding record is, at times, a powerful reckoning with the age of uncertainty.”
The post Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory launch with epic single ‘Afterlife’ and details of self-titled debut album and UK, European tour appeared first on NME.
Liberty Dunworth
NME
