We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong

Released in 2022, 'We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong' represents a pivot toward self-production and a more insular, atmospheric sound for Sharon Van Etten. Unlike her previous effort, 'Remind Me Tomorrow', which leaned into a more polished, pop-adjacent synth sound, this record is murkier and more experimental. Recorded largely in her home studio during the pandemic, the album explores themes of motherhood, domesticity, and existential dread. It notably lacked any pre-release singles, a deliberate choice by Van Etten to ensure the album was experienced as a cohesive, long-form narrative. Critics praised the album for its emotional weight and its ability to balance industrial-tinged textures with classic singer-songwriter vulnerability. It stands as one of her most cohesive works, cementing her transition from an indie-folk darling to a formidable architect of dark, expansive art-pop.