Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow (Album Review)

Honesty can be hard, especially if you’re making music. Yet the truth is Sharon Van Etten‘s goal in her newest effort. Sharon Van Etten explores finding confidence and learning to live through hard times in her new album Remind Me Tomorrow.

A majority of Remind Me Tomorrow sees Van Etten approach her emotions slowly. Opening track ‘I Told You Everything' starts things off slowly and calmly, as if to mimic her reluctance to let go of someone. The way Van Etten tackles these songs allows her to build up the confidence to face them, starting songs off either knowingly in a bad place or without having faced that emotion yet. To keep things unique from track to track, Van Etten creates different atmospheres that really capture the listener. ‘Jupiter 4‘ has a dark atmosphere as its slow, spacey drawl trudges along, while the freeing atmosphere of ‘Seventeen‘ accentuates Van Etten’s powerful vocals in the track.

There’s a lot of variety in Remind Me Tomorrow, but there aren’t any unfamiliar sounds. The soundscape Van Etten builds has this warm and familiar atmosphere that really helps her connect with her listeners. There are plenty of slow tracks, like ‘Malibu‘ and the haunting ‘Memorial Day,’ but several have more drive and energy to them: ‘No One’s Easy To Love‘ brings some drive early on in the record with a brooding new attitude, while ‘Stay‘ closes off things with a fun vibe. There’s no shortage of anything in Remind Me Tomorrow. If you need something energetic and punchy, there’s ‘Comeback Kid.’ Sweet but dark under the surface? ‘You Shadow.’ ‘Hands‘ is a powerful track, with a dark but awesome atmosphere backing it.

Sharon Van Etten explores finding confidence and learning to cope with emotions in several different forms in Remind Me Tomorrow, showing how fragility and strength sometimes go hand in hand. It’s a complex record, but it’s a familiar one all the same. There’s nothing quite unique and nothing overly specific that would alienate anyone. It’s a record for understanding.

Favorite Tracks: No One’s Easy To Love, Seventeen

Least Favorite Track: Comeback Kid

Rating: 76 / 100

Stream or buy Remind Me Tomorrow on Apple Music, and follow our 2019 Playlist on Spotify: