NPR Music

Some Favorite Things From Sharon Van Etten's New Video

By Marissa Lorusso

Published February 5, 2020 at 9:00 AM CST

Sharon Van Ettenis back with her first single since 2019's fearless and ambitious Remind Me Tomorrow, "Beaten Down."

It's a beautiful, darkly textured track that Van Etten says is "about love, patience and empathy... about making life-changing choices and remaining strong enough to see them through." It was released alongside a majestic black-and-white video, (some of) the many virtues of which I will extol here:

Mountainous landscape, filmed in the California desert by directors Nicky and Juliana Giraffe

Dramatic hat removal

Flowy jumpsuit

Elegant dance moves with fans, featuring twin dancers Allison and Veronica Huber

Sharon Van Etten in a white suit, walking serenely next to a horse (this happens twice; both times are good)

Sharon Van Etten sitting serenely on a horse

Horses running wild in said landscape

What more could you want? No news on a new album yet, by the way — "Beaten Down" is, for now, just a standalone single. So feel free to rewatch those running horses a few more times.