A lot of things have happened in the past five years, for a “double-threat” artist like Van Etten. It had been a very tumultuous couple of years for her as she had been kickstarting her acting career, as well as starting her own family.

She decides to peel back all of these layers of herself to create something so personal and raw, at whilst trying to redefine herself in her music. Very different from her previous singles or typical sound.

Van Etten’s album allows to you to connect emotionally to what she has been through, watching her grow track-by-track and following her on her “journey to the past” draws the relationship between the fans and herself even closer.

“And in life, it is all about the choices we make, and how the direction of our lives comes down to the choices we choose.”

Catherine Pulsifer

I think this very accurately explains what I felt listening to the song and what I think Van Etten was trying to get at where she introduces the listener to the hectic rollercoaster to come.

The album starts off with the track, “I Told You Everything”, which brings together a consistent piano chord, synthesized backbeats, and a soft melody to create a sobering authenticity of what it feels like to strip away all your secrets to someone you love.

The slow tempo can symbolize the difficulty it was to allow herself to feel vulnerable. The instrumental in combination with her haunting voice, transport you into her own atmospheric world, and if you close your eyes, you can imagine being in that bar too listening to this heart-wrenching four-minute confession.

This song made me want to reach over the table and hold her hand or give her a hug and applaud the fact that she is choosing to wear her heart on her sleeve and let us get a snapshot of her personal life, throughout the song.

The rest of the album only gets more self-reflective from here-on-in, but Remind Me Tomorrow starts on such a strong note with the first track setting everything up for what you think is to come, the other songs follow in its lead, little do they know they better strap in for the ride!

-Genna Dara