Sharon Van Etten
Jupiter 4
Jagiaguwar
Jupiter 4 is a dark, sweeping, sedate statement on art and love by New Jersey native Sharon Van Etten. In Jupiter 4, Van Etten’s vocals hover above the spacious landslide of music like a majestic spirit, equal parts divine and mysterious.
Jupiter 4 is the second song from Van Etten’s upcoming John Congleton (St Vincent, Chealsea Wolfe) produced album, Remind Me Tomorrow, released January 18 on Jagiaguwar, which so far is seeming like a more electronic affair.
The song has the sense of a new discovery or path, be it lyrics such as “I’ve been searching for you, I want to be in love” or the images in the video of Van Etten walking, swimming and climbing. This theme comes as little surprise considering that since Van Etten’s last release in 2014, she has become a mother and has re-immersed herself in academia.
The song is a more dramatic and fragile turn for the singer and multi-instrumentalist but it hasn’t lost any of Van Etten’s individualism, and is perhaps her most directional work to date.
The accompanying film clip is just as dark and eerie as the electronic industrial hum of the song. Aside from its gothic feels, it’s also very personal, with sequence after sequence of intimate close ups of Van Etten in contemplative states, her face and skin contrasting against the dark surrounds, like a dim light in a dark room that helps your eyes to adjust. The imagery perfectly sums up the sounds and themes.
LARA FOX
