Because I Was in Love

Released in 2009, 'Because I Was in Love' serves as the foundational document of Sharon Van Etten's career. Produced by Greg Weeks of Espers, the album is a masterclass in minimalist folk, starkly contrasting with the expansive indie rock and synth-heavy textures of her later catalog (such as 'Are We There' or 'Remind Me Tomorrow'). The recording context is famously intimate, focusing on Van Etten's husky contralto and fingerpicked guitar. Critics, including those at AllMusic, noted the album's 'stunningly frank' lyrical content and its debt to the tradition of 1970s confessional singer-songwriters, though delivered with a modern, indie-folk sensibility. While it lacks the 'explosive' catharsis of her later work, it establishes her signature use of vocal stacking and minor-key tension. In 2017, the album was remixed and remastered as 'It Was Because I Was in Love', adding tracks but maintaining the original's skeletal, haunting beauty.