Listen to Sharon Van Etten’s dramatic new ballad “Your Love Is Killing Me”

Vocal powerhouse Sharon Van Etten released a new song from her forthcoming LP Are We There, and it’s nothing short of breathtaking.  “Your Love Is Killing Me” starts out slow and ominous then slowly builds into a story about resisting the urge to reconnect with a past love. The language Van Etten uses evokes pure desperation and a need to separate herself from this person, underscoring how painful the relationship has been. “Break my legs so I won’t walk to you,” she sings. “Cut my tongue so I can’t talk to you / burn my skin so I can’t feel you / stab my eyes so I can’t see.” As the song progresses and the pace quickens, you can feel her sense of urgency. Around the 4:40 mark you feel a release as she sings “You like it when I let you walk all over me .” Are We There is out May 27th via Jagjaguwar Records, and she will be in Philly on June 18 at Union Transfer. She’s also taping a World Cafe Session during this week’s NonCOMM that you can hear later this year. Listen to “Your Love Is Killing Me” below.