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SHARON VAN ETTEN
& THE ATTACHMENT THEORY
play The Forum with
CASH SAVAGE

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Mistletone & Triple R present Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory at Forum Melbourne on Saturday November 22 with very special guest, Cash Savage. As well as headlining Castlemaine’s Town Folk Festival, Sharon and her band will bring their new self-titled album to The Forum, along with all the classics from Sharon’s treasury of heart-opening songs.

This is Shazza’s first visit since her “Darkness Fades” tour in 2022, when she sold out 2 x Northcote Theatres and a Sydney Opera House, and was garlanded with a sea of boots at Meredith Music Festival. Presale opens Thursday 9am, here. Tickets on sale Monday June 23 at 9am AEST, here.

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory — the album and the band name — is steeped in the wonder of human connection. The themes are timeless, classic Sharon – life and living, love and being loved – but the sounds are new, wholly realized and sharp as glass. Writing and recording in total collaboration with her band for the first time, Sharon Van Etten found the freedom that comes by letting go. The result of that liberation is an exhilarating new dimension of sound and songwriting.

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Sharon Van Etten has been an artist in control of her powers for many years; but now, working in lockstep with the band, her hard-won wisdom permeates in new ways. The popcorn synths of “Afterlife” mesmerise as they dance around the words and melody; the music is sweetly cascading, almost euphoric. “Somethin’ Ain’t Right” is both moody and contagiously danceable, powered by sequenced synth from keyboardist/vocalist Teeny Lieberson, an ostinato that weaves together the whole track into a cohesive whole. “Fading Beauty” begins with a barely audible musical motif before Sharon’s voice creeps in like smoke. Here, Sharon deepens the discourse that animates so much of her catalogue, exploring what it is to be simply human. This is her genius – oblique, but also relevant and personal.

Sharon described an epiphany, rehearsing in the desert with her band: “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?”

Magic, apparently. “In an hour,” she says, “we wrote two songs that ended up becoming ‘I Can’t Imagine’ and ‘Southern Life’.”

A stark and dark doom synth sequence opens the album and lead song “Live Forever”.  A crack of sharp, electronic white noise propels the track with a frenetic urgency, as Sharon asks the question that we all have to answer eventually:

“Who wants to live forever?
It doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter…”

The foundation of The Attachment Theory is Jorge Balbi on drums, as Sharon says, “Jorge has really beautiful feel, he can stay behind the beat and he’s open to exploring different kinds of technology, which I’m still learning about myself.” Sharon describes bassist Devra Hoff as “very sensitive to melodies and to the songwriting. I was so excited to play with a bass player that was driving and melodic.” The trio was completed by Teeny Lieberson on keys/vocals. “It’s a very spiritual thing,” explains Sharon, “to sing harmonies with somebody and just sing together in general. Her sense of harmony is incredible. All the textures that I wouldn’t intuitively use.  I haven’t had that in a really long time.” Teeny continues, “it is rare for me to feel completely at ease in the studio, especially coming from working mostly with male producers. I believe this is one of the few times I’ve felt encouraged and completely free in my creativity.”

Producer Marta Salogni (Bjork, Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Mica Levi) added another vital element, as both a connector and a producer renowned for her skills with synthesisers and electronics. “Her love of synths and sense of adventure was a huge draw to me. Her predilection for tapes and analog instruments was super exciting.” Salogni also proved adept at balancing the group, “facilitating many different personalities, fielding ideas from the different perspectives and making sense of the collective thoughts,” Sharon continues. “I wanted to ensure the band that I would find a producer who would embrace the darkness and the unique sounds we had honed in the writing process.”

Reflecting on this new artistic frame of mind, Sharon mused, “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. 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.” Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory is a quantum leap in that direction.

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Follow SHARON VAN ETTEN
Website – Instagram – Spotify – Twitter

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AMNPLIFY – DB