When a longtime solo songwriter suddenly starts gives their backing band co-billing, it doesn't usually fill me with confidence about their new album. Something about the branding screams, "I had fun making this album with my friends," to which my response is, "I'm happy for you, but what does that have to do with me?" I want to hear an album that the artist poured themselves into — not a recreational bonding sesh with buds.
Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory mostly puts those concerns to rest. There's nothing here as indelible as past Sharon Van Etten solo highlights "Seventeen" or "Every Time the Sun Comes Up," but the album is icy, dark and dramatic, with Van Etten and her group pushing the synth-y post-punk sounds of 2019's Remind Me Tomorrow further.
In particular, bassist Devra Hoff offers proof-of-concept for the full-band approach with stand-out low end: the cyclical soul groove of "Trouble," the hypnotic psych pulse of "Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)" and the indie sleaze throb of stand-out "I Can't Imagine (Why You Feel This Way)."
And for anyone who misses Lower Dens like I do, pay special attention to the new wave pop of "Somethin' Ain't Right."
