Whether it’s the result of self-sabotage or the hand of an unkind lover, Sharon Van Etten has the power to channel that painful ache from love gone awry in impressive fashion. And the 12 songs on Van Etten’s new LP Tramp — released this past Tuesday on Jagjaguwar — pack a musical and emotional punch. Epic harnessed the jilted woman scorned, and while Tramp still displays that jaded side, it’s more about flat-out disappointment in love rather than anger, about resigning oneself to the fact that some relationships just aren’t going to work, no matter how much we want them to.

She doesn’t look down, she looks out. She does not hold on, she holds out. She does not give up, she gives out. These observations — which Van Etten makes on the sorrowfully strummed “Give Out” — are very powerful realizations of self-doubt, and that kind of introspection is sprinkled throughout Tramp. Really, that vulnerability has become Van Etten’s trademark. And the music here never fails to capture and twist those feelings to deliver the musical piece as well. With the help of several well-known indie friends — like Julianna Barwick, Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner and Matt Barick of The Walkmen, not to mention production from The National’s Aaron Dessner — Van Etten sets the mood and drives it home, and often does so without going too far above a whisper.

I can’t stress enough how refreshingly genuine this album is. And lyrically, it’s full of simple lines that land like heavy bombs. I need more than the flowers and letters, man, Van Etten sings on the wonderful “Ask,” in such a way that you can just picture it landing across the breakfast table one morning. Cowardice – You felt it yourself. You’re telling lies, you’ve said too much, she sings on “Magic Chords,” calling a bastard like she sees him. You enjoy sucking on dreams, and so I will fall asleep with someone else tonight, from the angry rocker “Serpents,” a line that’s just dripping with spite. Everything paints a picture on Tramp, and Van Etten’s sometimes-wailing, sometimes-soaring voice is the most powerful brushstroke.

It takes a few listens through her latest effort to really absorb all the beauty Van Etten has worked into Tramp. The best example I can provide comes from my favorite song on the album: the beautiful and brooding “I’m Wrong.” The feedback, squawk, and buzz of the electric guitar that so elegantly builds the tension, then adds subtle chimes that fade in and out, and all the while Van Etten’s quivering vocals grow stronger throughout but never quite break free. It feels powerful and fragile at the same time, and it catches the listener right in the heart, like so many pieces of this album.

I’ll see Van Etten for the third time live next Tuesday, when she performs with Shearwater at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus (Tickets are still available!). Not only does she channel that vulnerability and raw emotion on record, Van Etten has an intensity about her performance that’s really remarkable considering how friendly and goofy she is between songs. I can’t wait to hear these new songs in the same kind of intimate setting that was a perfect fit the last time I saw Van Etten perform live, almost a year ago at the Wexner Center as well. She’ll be touring across the US throughout February and March, and she’s worth witnessing in person if you get the chance. Download “Serpents” below!

Sharon Van Etten – Serpents

(Tramp is available now from Jagjaguwar Records)

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–Sean