Sharon Van Etten has a big milestone ahead of her. Earlier this month marked the 10th anniversary of Are We There, her critically-acclaimed fourth studio album. To celebrate the anniversary, Van Etten announced a special anniversary edition of Are We There, releasing this week.
The special anniversary edition features new versions of the fan favorite, “Every Time The Sun Comes Up.” One of the updated versions features Van Etten on vocals, Jorge Balbi on percussion, Charley Damski on guitar, Devin Hoff on bass, and Teeny Liebrson on keys.
“We were rehearsing for the We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong Tour, leaning into some of our influences to give the song a more current feel to where we were all creatively at the time,” said Van Etten in a statement. We performed it live and the audience really responded to our new Joy Division-like spin on it. We had the idea to release it to celebrate the Are We There 10-year anniversary and breathe new life into it, which feels like the perfect time.”
Van Etten looks back on recording Are We There fondly. The 10th anniversary edition will be accompanied with both a digital and vinyl release, the lattermost containing a new note from Van Etten.
“The whole time I was making Are We There, I was commuting to Hobo Sound from an apartment in the city,” said Van Etten in a statement, “and I took a train to the bus station and walked from the Lincoln tunnel to the studio in Weehawken, NJ. Making this record, my bandmates (Doug Keith, Heather Woods Broderick, and Zeke Hutchins) quickly became my family, and I realized I sought refuge in the studio. It was where I felt nurtured. It felt like home. I was able to find myself and I feel like that vulnerability and strength was captured through the collaborations on this album. The name of this album represents, for me, a place I departed from but with an acknowledgment that I haven’t yet arrived.”
You can listen to “Every Time The Sun Comes Up (Alternative Version)” and see the Are We There (Anniversary Edition) artwork below.
Are We There (Anniversary Edition) is out 5/31 via Jagjagwar. Find more information here.
