This past May, Sharon Van Etten released We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, an album centered around being resilient in the face of modern life’s perils, acknowledging what’s broken and being mindful in putting things back together. Now in the new video for album standout “Headspace,” Van Etten tackles how the dynamics of sex and domesticity in a relationship have changed in the increasingly digital post-pandemic era.
In the video, Van Etten is a medium of sorts, as a couple does an interpretive dance number to illustrate shifting bedroom dynamics. The song’s industrial production pulse — which isn’t a far cry from something you’d hear on a Nine Inch Nails album — adds to the tension as Van Etten and the dancers navigate through their internal conflict.
“When I was writing this song, I wanted to talk about domesticity and intimacy frustrations under the tensions of working at home and seeking connection while being tied to our devices and still trying to reach each other as lovers, parents, humans…,” Van Etten said in a statement. “Reminding each other that there is still a primal attraction even in the midst of the mundane and repetition of everyday life.”
Watch the video for “Headspace” above and check out Van Etten’s tour dates with Angel Olsen and Julien Baker here.
We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong is out now via Jagjaguwar. Listen to it here.
