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10.0
65994
10.0 |
Independent on Sunday
Her self-produced fourth album executes another dramatic confidence leap
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10.0
66083
10.0 |
Pretty Much Amazing
As remarkable as Van Etten’s vocal work often is, it has always been a strength of hers; the real development comes in her use of dynamics
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10.0
66084
10.0 |
The Arts Desk
Van Etten chose to take production duties into her own hands. The result is something so intimate, and so honest, that it at once feels rude to listen to but at the same time impossible to tear yourself away from
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9.5
66144
9.5 |
Paste Magazine
Are We There doesn’t lack for superlatives, but perhaps the most impressive thing about the album is that it illustrates the scope of Van Etten’s talent
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9.1
66075
9.1 |
A.V. Club
Are We There offers an artist in full command of her voice and her instrument
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9.1
66016
9.1 |
Consequence Of Sound
Are We There functions best as the portrait of an artist coming into her own, while hopefully putting some of her demons to rest
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9.0
66019
9.0 |
Loud And Quiet
Her elegant approach to emotionally candid lyricism is nimbly matched by the sound of the record throughout
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9.0
65955
9.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
For sheer consistency and confidence Are We There is Van Etten’s best yet
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9.0
65879
9.0 |
Drowned In Sound
One of the most vivid, involving, troubling albums about the trials of love in recent memory
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9.0
65882
9.0 |
Clash
A truly fascinating listen
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9.0
65884
9.0 |
Uncut
Proving her mettle as a singular songwriter not afraid to hold hot coals with bare hands
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9.0
65898
9.0 |
The 405
This is not a breakup album, it's so much more than that. It is a place of solace and of memory, some memories pleasurable and others unbearably painful
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9.0
66378
9.0 |
Beardfood
She will make you cry, but there's always a smile through the tears
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9.0
66394
9.0 |
No Ripcord
Her pain, her flaws, her confidence and her laughter make her one of the most relatable songwriters around today, as human as the rest of us
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9.0
66031
9.0 |
Earbuddy
Without her shyness holding her back it seems that her sonic innovation knows no bounds, making her future work an incredibly exciting prospect indeed
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8.5
65880
8.5 |
Crack
An excellent record and one that is further testament to Van Etten’s considerable talent
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8.2
66069
8.2 |
Pitchfork
Even as she has settled into a successful solo career, Van Etten continues to write incisively about the volatility of love, with no loss of urgency or investment
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8.0
65954
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
The palette is less guitar-centered than Van Etten's 2012 breakthrough, Tramp. Keyboards and woodwinds shroud processed beats
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8.0
66034
8.0 |
Exclaim
Cuts deep into the skin of its creator and finds Van Etten more exposed than ever
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8.0
66053
8.0 |
Q
One hopes that the beauty of her songs can inspire courage in those who fall for its charms. Print edition only
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8.0
66102
8.0 |
PopMatters
Are We There is her best album, but given Van Etten’s track record, we can expect the next one to be even better
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8.0
66104
8.0 |
NME
Van Etten tackles heartache with refreshing sharpness, distilling complex sentiments into something beautifully simple
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8.0
66118
8.0 |
God Is In The TV
If people weren’t aware of her before now, this is the record to put that right. One of the strongest albums so far this year
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8.0
66778
8.0 |
State
There’s much to be said for the variation of songs that twist around the central theme, and far more to be said for this place that Van Etten has arrived at musically
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8.0
66295
8.0 |
DIY
Van Etten has gained in confidence and widened her scope, and the results are impressive
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8.0
65881
8.0 |
The Music
The music is beautiful, but always well and truly in the background, letting the focus fall completely on Van Etten’s voice
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8.0
65883
8.0 |
Mojo
Van Etten needn't have worried about only being liked for her friends, there's a lot of her here and the connections are all her own. Print edition only
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8.0
65948
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Lyrically, she’s gripping and open; musically, she gets better all the time. It all deserves to widen her cult following
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8.0
65950
8.0 |
The Quietus
Her voice is the kind that could make almost anything sound melancholy, but in matching it to songs simultaneously soft and steely, the effect is honestly heartening more than anything else
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8.0
66025
8.0 |
All Music
The more inventive arrangements and advances in songwriting are an undeniable step forward for Van Etten
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8.0
66010
8.0 |
musicOMH
It’s an album constructed of numerous heartbreaks, and it revels in the deepest darkness that Van Etten can conjure
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7.5
65958
7.5 |
Under The Radar
While it's very easy for confessional songwriting to descend into cloying indulgence or melancholic non-sequiturs, Are We There revels comfortably and unproblematically in a relatable pathos
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7.0
66013
7.0 |
Slant Magazine
Van Etten's typically melancholic melodies persist here, but she seeks out different musical territory than on her previous albums
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6.0
65996
6.0 |
The Observer
Sees Van Etten leaving Tramp's seething indie rock for singer-songwriter terrain
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6.0
65943
6.0 |
The Guardian
Van Etten's melodies often feel as if they're not quite taking flight, and rarely cause you to catch your breath the way her lyrics do
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4.0
65952
4.0 |
The FT
I found my interest being leached away by the dirge-like pace and unvarying tone of Van Etten’s singing
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