ADM Chart topper

Are We There

Sharon Van Etten

Are We There

Fourth album from the Brooklyn-based indie folk songstress and follow-up to her acclaimed third Tramp

ADM rating[?]

8.3

Label
Jagjaguwar
UK Release date
26/05/2014
US Release date
27/05/2014
  1. 10.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    Her self-produced fourth album executes another dramatic confidence leap
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  2. 10.0 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    As remarkable as Van Etten’s vocal work often is, it has always been a strength of hers; the real development comes in her use of dynamics
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  3. 10.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Van Etten chose to take production duties into her own hands. The result is something so intimate, and so honest, that it at once feels rude to listen to but at the same time impossible to tear yourself away from
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  4. 9.5 |   Paste Magazine

    Are We There doesn’t lack for superlatives, but perhaps the most impressive thing about the album is that it illustrates the scope of Van Etten’s talent
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  5. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    Are We There offers an artist in full command of her voice and her instrument
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  6. 9.1 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Are We There functions best as the portrait of an artist coming into her own, while hopefully putting some of her demons to rest
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  7. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Her elegant approach to emotionally candid lyricism is nimbly matched by the sound of the record throughout
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  8. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    For sheer consistency and confidence Are We There is Van Etten’s best yet
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  9. 9.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    One of the most vivid, involving, troubling albums about the trials of love in recent memory
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  10. 9.0 |   Clash

    A truly fascinating listen
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  11. 9.0 |   Uncut

    Proving her mettle as a singular songwriter not afraid to hold hot coals with bare hands
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  12. 9.0 |   The 405

    This is not a breakup album, it's so much more than that. It is a place of solace and of memory, some memories pleasurable and others unbearably painful
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  13. 9.0 |   Beardfood

    She will make you cry, but there's always a smile through the tears
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  14. 9.0 |   No Ripcord

    Her pain, her flaws, her confidence and her laughter make her one of the most relatable songwriters around today, as human as the rest of us
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  15. 9.0 |   Earbuddy

    Without her shyness holding her back it seems that her sonic innovation knows no bounds, making her future work an incredibly exciting prospect indeed
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  16. 8.5 |   Crack

    An excellent record and one that is further testament to Van Etten’s considerable talent
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  17. 8.2 |   Pitchfork

    Even as she has settled into a successful solo career, Van Etten continues to write incisively about the volatility of love, with no loss of urgency or investment
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  18. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    The palette is less guitar-centered than Van Etten's 2012 breakthrough, Tramp. Keyboards and woodwinds shroud processed beats
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  19. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    Cuts deep into the skin of its creator and finds Van Etten more exposed than ever
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  20. 8.0 |   Q

    One hopes that the beauty of her songs can inspire courage in those who fall for its charms. Print edition only

  21. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Are We There is her best album, but given Van Etten’s track record, we can expect the next one to be even better
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  22. 8.0 |   NME

    Van Etten tackles heartache with refreshing sharpness, distilling complex sentiments into something beautifully simple
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  23. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    If people weren’t aware of her before now, this is the record to put that right. One of the strongest albums so far this year
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  24. 8.0 |   State

    There’s much to be said for the variation of songs that twist around the central theme, and far more to be said for this place that Van Etten has arrived at musically
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  25. 8.0 |   DIY

    Van Etten has gained in confidence and widened her scope, and the results are impressive
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  26. 8.0 |   The Music

    The music is beautiful, but always well and truly in the background, letting the focus fall completely on Van Etten’s voice
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  27. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Van Etten needn't have worried about only being liked for her friends, there's a lot of her here and the connections are all her own. Print edition only

  28. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Lyrically, she’s gripping and open; musically, she gets better all the time. It all deserves to widen her cult following
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  29. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    Her voice is the kind that could make almost anything sound melancholy, but in matching it to songs simultaneously soft and steely, the effect is honestly heartening more than anything else
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  30. 8.0 |   All Music

    The more inventive arrangements and advances in songwriting are an undeniable step forward for Van Etten
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  31. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    It’s an album constructed of numerous heartbreaks, and it revels in the deepest darkness that Van Etten can conjure
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  32. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    While it's very easy for confessional songwriting to descend into cloying indulgence or melancholic non-sequiturs, Are We There revels comfortably and unproblematically in a relatable pathos
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  33. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Van Etten's typically melancholic melodies persist here, but she seeks out different musical territory than on her previous albums
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  34. 6.0 |   The Observer

    Sees Van Etten leaving Tramp's seething indie rock for singer-songwriter terrain
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  35. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    Van Etten's melodies often feel as if they're not quite taking flight, and rarely cause you to catch your breath the way her lyrics do
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  36. 4.0 |   The FT

    I found my interest being leached away by the dirge-like pace and unvarying tone of Van Etten’s singing
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Sharon Van Etten: Are We There

  • Download full album for just £7.49
  • 1. Afraid of Nothing £0.99
  • 2. Taking Chances £0.99
  • 3. Your Love is Killing Me £0.99
  • 4. Our Love £0.99
  • 5. Tarifa £0.99
  • 6. I Love You But I'm Lost £0.99
  • 7. You Know Me Well £0.99
  • 8. Break Me £0.99
  • 9. Nothing Will Change £0.99
  • 10. I Know £0.99
  • 11. Every Time the Sun Comes Up £0.99
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