“Seventeen”, Sharon Van Etten (Remind Me Tomorrow)

By Maria Ceglie

Something seemed off the first time listening “Seventeen” from Sharon Van Etten’s recently dropped album, Remind Me Tomorrow. I found myself replaying it trying to figure it out. I went from feeling disturbed to being drawn into the stimulating sound. I could not understand it, maybe I wasn’t supposed to. I became frustrated trying to navigate through the pandemonium, so I decided to leave it alone and went to bed. Throughout the night something happened. I must have dreamt about my childhood, or a clear wake of nostalgia hit me in the face that had caused me to wake up singing the catchy lyrics “I use to be seventeen”. The rest was history.

Whether it’s synth-pop, indie rock, or alternative, it is hard to determine Sharon Van Etten’s style of music. Whatever it is, it makes this song beautifully unique. The instrumentals are an interesting combination of The Damnwells soft alternative strums combined with Echosmith’s “Cool Kids” and Tom Morello’s signature whinny guitar style. The song fades into a steady beat that introduces Van Etten singing “I know what you want to say” later diving into a pool of chaos with her screaming “I know what you’re gunna be.”

Her vocals along with her lyrics are definite and indefinite (doesn’t make sense, right?), but I think that’s the point. The electric guitar is similar as it includes heavy tabs and incomplete tabs creating the beautiful chaotic environment. Everything about this track contrasts and juxtaposes together revealing Van Etten’s emotional attachment to her younger self.

Someone told me once that everyone lives with an older/younger version of themselves. I believe that Sharon Van Etten’s “Seventeen” year-old-self busted out in this track and said hello to the world, as she end her song singing “You’re just seventeen.”

-Maria Ceglie