Ultimate chill pill
THE latest album from indie-pop queen Sharon Van Etten has her teaming up with The Attachment Theory, which is quite a surprise given her previous six solo efforts relied on a rotating cast of friends and sessionists as backing musicians.
An invitation to jam, a peculiarity which Van Etten admits to being alien to, resulted in two songs from an initial session. Pleased at the fruitful outcome, the 44-year old American chanteuse and the Attachment Theory continued with this blueprint and the result is a one of the year's most enchanting alternative pop releases.
At the very forefront is Van Etten's haunting and ethereal vocals, inviting all and sundry to wrap themselves in a blanket of melancholy. Recalling the sounds of Alison Goldfrapp and Cat Power, this album is almost a throwback to 90s chillout albums – designed for the comedown after a hard night raving to big beats at some abandoned warehouse.
This is music to zone out to. The sort of album you stick on after a hard day's toil, letting its cool vibes wash over you like the sound of gentle rainfall outside your window. But this does not mean the album is mere background music. Instead, it invites listeners to just sit back and soak in the atmospheric vibes.
Opening two tracks Live Forever and Afterlife deal with mortality, which sets the mood straight away as Van Etten's melancholia-drenched vocal chords set the tone of this ultra-chilled long player.
The Attachment Theory is unobtrusive with its playing and allow Van Etten's singing to take centre stage. However, that does not mean it is bland or boring. It is anything but as the trio fashion interesting soundscapes peppered with lots of eletronica elements to keep proceedings intriguing. Think Beck at his most eclectic but not as busy and you will sort of get the picture.
Even when things are taken up a notch and the band hit an uptempo vibe, Van Etten's vocals still remain centre stage, taking listeners on an aural journey that is akin to albums such as Spiritualized's Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space. Yes, it is that good and certainly deserves comparisons with chill-out classics such as that.
Channeling the spirit of prime-era Talking Heads, the Attachment Theory take the art-funk template to new albeit restrained heights on tracks such as Southern Life and Somethin' Ain't Right, with a bass line that is guaranteed to get toes tapping.
There are no vocal histrionics on the entire album as Van Etten's singing barely rises above a whisper. It is all very calm and composed – all very grown up in fact. But at no point does this record meander into mediocrity or middle-of-the-road banality. It just delivers top notch chill-out anthems in an almost lazy manner but therein lies its charms. Effortless brilliance is something to be marvelled and celebrated.
Make absolutely no mistake, this album is one of the best to drop in 2025 so far – every home should own it. At the very least, it should be on the playlists of those who simply enjoy great music. Essential stuff.
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