When I first heard “Trouble”, the latest single from Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory, I was sure that she surreptitiously released some random single on Italians Do It Better. It just has that gauzy synth-soaked veneer to it, a hazy outlook on nocturnal reflection, like watching blurry cityscapes through a rain-swept windshield. But the more it soaks into your skin, the more you realize how much she and the band are putting their own unique stamp on this electronic pop aesthetic, injecting it with a vital momentum that sweeps you off your feet. After hearing previous singles “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” and “Afterlife“, and then letting the cascading sounds of this new song roll over me, I think that it’s quite evident that her work with The Attachment Theory may very well be some of the best stuff she’s ever done.
“‘Trouble’ is about the idea of having to coexist with people you love who have opposing views, and not being able to share deep parts of yourself and your narrative based on someone else’s beliefs,” Van Etten explains. “It’s about when there’s that big part of you that someone who loves you can’t know because it’s not something they want to hear or are willing to learn about or understand, and those painful realizations when you choose to love and respect someone else’s needs over your own to salvage a relationship.“
The accompanying video was directed by Susu Laroche and was shot during the time the band was recording the new album at Eurythmics’ former London studio, The Church.
Watch the clip below.
The band’s self-titled debut is due out Feb 7 via Jagjaguwar. You can pre-order it here. Follow Sharon Van Etten on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
