Sharon Van Etten pays tribute to NYC venues in new video, appearing in ‘The OA’ S2

January 8, 2019

Sharon Van Etten is a week and a half away from releasing her anticipated new album Remind Me Tomorrow, and she has now shared a third song from it (which is its second proper single), “Seventeen,” following lead single “Comeback Kid” and the more recently released “Jupiter 4” (the latter of which is named after the Roland synthesizer that she wrote much of this synth-fueled album on). Like “Comeback Kid,” “Seventeen” sees Sharon looking back at her younger self, though it’s musically more of an anthemic slow burner. For its video, Sharon aimed to “create a love letter to New York, her home for the last 15 years,” to quote director Maureen Towey. “She showed us around all her old haunts — the places that made her the musician that she is today. Some of these spots are still around, some are just empty lots now. We took an eye toward the city that was both tender and tough, trying to find the ways that a beautiful city can fall apart while still nurturing the hopes of a young artist.” Those old haunts include NYC venues Pianos, Sin-é, Cake Shop, Zebulon, Union Pool, and Baby’s All Right, as well as Sharon’s old neighborhoods Round Valley Reservoir, NJ and Clinton, NJ. The video stars Sharon alongside musician Rachel Trachtenburg (currently of the band Wooing, formerly of Supercute and Trachtenburg Family Sideshow Players), who plays Sharon’s younger self. She also talked about the video shoot in her recent New York Times profile too:

A few days after our first meeting, Van Etten was facing that nostalgia head-on as she scouted locations from her past for the track’s upcoming music video shoot. There were long-closed clubs on the Lower East Side, where she played some of her first shows, along with her early New York apartments sourced on Craigslist and too close to the rattling subway.

Van Etten laughed about seeing her “hazy past in daylight,” but the stroll through memories was also something of a goodbye, as she and Hutchins had agreed that a move to Los Angeles in the new year was probably best for raising a child. “I’ve worked so hard to live here and now I can’t afford it,” she said. “The New York story.”

“Seventeen” was written with help from singer/songwriter Kate Davis, who plays Baby’s All Right this Saturday (1/12), opening for Pearla (tickets). Check out “Seventeen” and its video below. Remind Me Tomorrow comes out January 18 via Jagjaguwar.

Also in that Times profile, Sharon discussed her work on The OA‘s upcoming second season, which she had been filming during the leadup to Remind Me Tomorrow, all while also becoming a mother, entering a new relationship, and pursuing a degree in psychology. As you may know, The OA‘s first season became Sharon’s first professional acting job in 2016. “I almost didn’t take it,” Sharon told the Times. “I was doing this big dramatic pause with my band to go back to school and now I’m going to act? I’m such a phony!” The show’s second season is on its way, and Sharon says she’s open to more acting after that. She “has been working on writing comedy, including a personal project about a mother’s relationship with her babysitters. She even recently tried stand-up.”

Sharon’s tour with Nilufer Yanya includes a NYC show at a venue slightly larger than the ones in her new video, Beacon Theatre, on February 9. Comedian/musician Fred Armisen is on the bill as well (tickets). All dates are listed below.

Sharon Van Etten — 2019 Tour Dates
Wed. Feb. 6 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club #
Thu. Feb. 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
Fri. Feb. 8 – Boston, MA @ Royale #
Sat. Feb. 9 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre $ #
Mon. Feb. 11 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall #
Wed. Feb. 13 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre #
Thu. Feb. 14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall # — SOLD OUT
Fri. Feb. 15 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall #
Sat. Feb. 16 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue #
Mon. Feb. 18 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre #
Tue. Feb 19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall #
Thu. Feb 21 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom #
Fri. Feb 22 – Vancouver, BC – Imperial #
Sat. Feb 23 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre #
Tue. Feb. 26 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore #
Thu. Feb 28 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park #
Fri. March 1 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theatre at Ace Hotel #
Thu. March 21 – Birmingham, UK @ The Mill
Fri. March 22 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
Sat. March 23 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
Sun. March 24 – Glasgow, UK @ St. Luke’s – SOLD OUT
Tue. March 26 – London, UK @ Roundhouse
Wed. March 27 – Bristol, UK @ SWX
Fri. March 29 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Sat. March 30 – Brussels, BE @ Orangerie (at Botanique)
Mon. April 1 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie
Tue. April 2 – Koln, DE @ Luxor
Wed. April 3 – Munich, DE @ Strom
Fri. April 5 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
Sat. April 6 – Hamburg, DE @ Grünspan
Sun. April 7 – Copenhagen, DK @ Studio 2 (DR Concert House)
Tue. April 9 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik
Wed. April 10 – Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret
Thu. April 11 – Stockholm, SE @ Kagelbanen