We've Been Going About This All Wrong
2022 studio album by Sharon Van Etten
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We've Been Going About This All Wrong is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten, released on May 6, 2022, by Jagjaguwar. Van Etten wrote the whole album herself, and produced it with Daniel Knowles. The indie rock album was preceded by four singles. It was critically acclaimed and appeared on several year-end lists, and charted in several countries. A deluxe version of the album was released on November 11, with two more singles ahead of it.
| We've Been Going About This All Wrong | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 6, 2022 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock[1] | |||
| Length | 39:20 | |||
| Label | Jagjaguwar | |||
| Producer |
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| Sharon Van Etten chronology | ||||
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| Singles from We've Been Going About This All Wrong | ||||
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Release
We've Been Going About This All Wrong was released on May 6, 2022, by Jagjaguwar.[2][3] Four singles were released prior to the album's release. "Mistakes", which was released May 9, 2022;[4] and "Headspace", which was released July 7;[5] were both included on the original album. "Porta", released February 8;[6] and "Used to It", released March 1;[7] were originally released as standalone singles before being announced as part of the deluxe edition on October 6. "Never Gonna Change" was released as a single the same day as the deluxe announcement,[8] and "When I Die" released the same day as the deluxe album's release on November 11.[9]
Music videos were released for the first four singles. The video for "Mistakes" shows Van Etten wandering around Brooklyn, meeting friends and dancing in the street.[4] The "Porta" video depicts Van Etten practicing pilates and was inspired by Van Etten's friendship with North Carolina pilates instructor Stella Cook.[6] The "Headspace" video was directed by Ashley Connor and depicts Van Etten taking cellphones away from a couple portrayed by dancers Coco Karol and Miguel Angel Guzmán and encouraging them to embrace each other.[5] The video for "Used to It" features Van Etten dancing with choreographer Hayden J. Frederick, and was directed by Van Etten's musical director and bandmate Charley Damski.[7]
The album is named after a line of dialogue in the 1993 movie The Sandlot, a movie Van Etten says she has watched "probably ... 100 times" with her son.[10]
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10[11] |
| Metacritic | 80/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[14] |
| The Guardian | [1] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10[15] |
| NME | [3] |
| Paste | 8.4/10[16] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[17] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[2] |
| Rolling Stone |  [18] |
| Under the Radar | [19] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, We've Been Going About This All Wrong received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 from 19 critic scores.[12]
Year-end lists
| Publication | # | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| BrooklynVegan | 39 | [20] |
| Consequence of Sound | 47 | [21] |
| Exclaim! | 43 | [22] |
| Mondo Sonoro | 45 | [23] |
| Paste | 46 | [24] |
| PopMatters | 61 | [25] |
| Sound Opinions (Jim DeRogatis) |
17 | [26] |
| Sound Opinions (Greg Kot) |
2 | [26] |
| Uncut | 19 | [27] |
| Under the Radar | 8 | [28] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Sharon Van Etten.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Darkness Fades" | 4:34 |
| 2. | "Home to Me" | 3:39 |
| 3. | "I'll Try" | 3:08 |
| 4. | "Anything" | 2:38 |
| 5. | "Born" | 5:02 |
| 6. | "Headspace" | 4:26 |
| 7. | "Come Back" | 4:30 |
| 8. | "Darkish" | 4:05 |
| 9. | "Mistakes" | 3:59 |
| 10. | "Far Away" | 3:19 |
| Total length: | 39:20 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Never Gonna Change" | 3:39 |
| 12. | "Porta" | 3:26 |
| 13. | "Used to It" | 4:31 |
| 14. | "When I Die" | 4:45 |
| Total length: | 55:40 | |
Personnel
Musicians
- Sharon Van Etten – vocals, keyboards (3, 5–7, 9, 10), guitar (1, 5, 8), drums (2–5), synthesizer (1, 2), tambourine (1, 4), piano (2, 5), organ (5, 7)
- Jorge Balbi – drums (1–3, 5–7, 9, 10), percussion (6)
- Charley Damski – synthesizer (1–3, 5–7, 9, 10), guitar (3–6, 9, 10), glockenspiel (1)
- Devra Hoff – guitar (1–7, 9, 10)
- Jay Bellerose – drums (2, 5, 7)
- Benji Lysaght – guitar (2, 7)
- Zachary Dawes – guitar (2, 5)
- Daniel Knowles – bass (1), percussion (5)
- Owen Pallett – strings (5)
- Dave Palmer – piano (7)
Technical
- Sharon Van Etten – recording engineer (2–7, 9, 10)
- Daniel Knowles – recording engineer (1–3, 5–10), programming (1, 5)
- Joe LaPorta – mastering engineer
- Beatriz Artola – mixing engineer
- Mike Piersante – recording engineer (2, 5, 7)
- Jorge Balbi – programming (6, 9)
Charts
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[29] | 48 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] | 102 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] | 169 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[32] | 52 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] | 22 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[34] | 26 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[35] | 7 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] | 88 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[37] | 28 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[38] | 5 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[39] | 10 |
| US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[40] | 3 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[41] | 7 |