Track of the Day: Sharon Van Etten “Comeback Kid” (2018)

Yesterday Sharon Van Etten announced the forthcoming release of her new record Remind Me Tomorrow, her first since Are We There was released four years ago, dropping a new single, and taste of what’s to come, “Comeback Kid” in the process.

Van Etten has been busy in those intervening years, with the New Yorker heading back to school, becoming a mother, and making her acting debut on The OA – not to mention appearing on David Lynch’s revival of Twin Peaks. She also found time to pen a new record, making the most of those stolen hours between her myriad of commitments and endeavours, with Van Etten declaring:

I want to be a mom, a singer, an actress, go to school, but yeah, I have a stain on my shirt, oatmeal in my hair and I feel like a mess, but I’m here. Doing it. This record is about pursuing your passions.

“Comeback Kid”, also marks a shift in Van Etten’s sound, with producer John Congleton taking Van Etten from minimal mediative and a touch melancholic to upbeat and energetic. Originally demoed as a piano ballad, the final version is anything but. “Comeback Kid” is quite simply anthemic, with a chorus that is ready made for festival stages and audience involvement. It bristles with energy, with just a tinge of menace mixed in too, and reminds me slightly of some of Arcade Fire’s later output. Whilst Van Etten’s sound might have been taken up a notch, the intervening years have done nothing to diminish her vocal prowess, she sounds great here.

I don’t know about you, but “Comeback Kid” has me excited to hear the rest of the record – January cannot come quick enough!

“Comeback Kid” is available now. Pre-Order Sharon’s new record Remind Me Tomorrow HERE. You can find Sharon Van Etten on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Header Image by Ryan Pfluger (taken from Sharon Van Etten’s Facebook page). 

Simon Clark

Books Editor. An admirer of songs and reader of books. Simon has a PhD in English and Comparative Literature. All errant apostrophes are his own.