OnRemind Me Tomorrowthe artist ditches guitars and finds bold new ways to write about love.
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Inside the apartment, a row of finger paintings and collages give way to a wall of records.
Her solitary subjects plumb the depths of heartache and introspection, but seek connection.
Remind Me Tomorrowis a different kind of risk.
It mostly does away with guitars.
Some fans have written to say theyve lost faith in me, or whatever, Van Etten says.
And Im so proud of the last record I made, but I really needed to make this one.
Shes used to fans finding personal solace in her music, and telling her so.
The people who came up to me werent just sharing stories, they wereseeking my advice, she says.
Some predicaments were heavy: devastating breakups, terminal illness, friends suicides.
I started doubting myself in music.
And I started asking what is my responsibility and what is driving me to connect with them.
Performing as a skeleton crew, shed taken just Hutchins, her longtime drummer, along with her.
Somewhere along the way we realized we had feelings for each other, Van Etten says.
We realized we were both in unhealthy relationships.
By 2015, whenThe OAcame calling, Hutchins was both her partner and manager.
I almost didnt take it because I felt like such a phony, she says.
People work their whole lives to get a role like this!
Like, Promise me you wont leave us!
Life became school, score, acting, baby on the way.
I had the riff, and I had the drums minimally in there.
When she mentioned Nick Cave and Alan Vega, his eyes got really big and excited.
John just ran with all of it.
In the video, she comes off like a toughened-up version of the roadhouse chanteuse she embodied onTwin Peaks.
I was conjuring my PJ [Harvey] like, slamming my coffee and singing those songs.
It was so great to just show up and be the singer.
She taught me how to put on eyeliner!
And when youre on the road with dudes, it actually feels nice to get ready like that.
She and I would warm up together.
Theres a level of performance you have to get into, this mind-set.
Mostly, though, she says, Hutchins is a voice of encouragement.
Hes the one always saying its an adventure.
Van Etten says, jumping up to say hello.
Thats so funny, Van Etten says, after Cera and his wife Nadine leave.
Thats the kind of New York run-in Im gonna miss.
In L.A., you have to set your day with intention.
But we found a house and a studio for what our apartment costs here.
And we can always come back.
That was who we could all agree on, Van Etten says.
People that have longevity.
Whos the equivalent of any of those now?
We started crying, and Carolyn just goes, Im gonna dye my hair purple.
And she did, Van Etten says.
Ive never seen Bob Dylan play, thats on my list.
Ive never seen Neil Young play, though Ive seen him speak.
I saw Bruce Springsteen a long time ago.
At the end of the week Van Etten will fly to L.A. to start rehearsal for her tour.
She says she still hasnt quite figured out what to do onstage without the guitar.
(You dont want to see me dance, she says.)
Im trying to find ways, Van Etten says, of understanding peoples connection to music.
Shes writing her set lists.
I have this desire to not play the hits, she says.
I dont want to play the ones that are angsty, or mournful.
Shes still not in a place where I can really give people advice, cause everyones experience is unique.
But Van Etten is very much listening.
Some musicians need that distance, but I need that connection.
I need to remember why Im doing this.
