Pilates and indie rock may seem like two separate circles, but Sharon Van Etten is here to change your mind. The singer-songwriter released her new single, “Porta,†paired with a (very well-lighted) music video featuring Van Etten in a personal Pilates class. The concept has personal significance to the musician, who recently picked up Pilates with her friend Stella Cook, an instructor who stars in the video. (Try following along and get a real workout in.)
Van Etten said in a statement that she wrote “Porta†“at one of my lowest lows,†but she later found strength through her classes with Cook. “I started feeling closer to her, and closer to myself, and it helped things seem hopeful,†Van Etten said. “And I just wanted to share that with the world.†“Porta†leans further in the synth-driven direction of Van Etten’s previous album, 2019’s Remind Me Tomorrow, after the brief detour of her 2021 Angel Olsen duet “Like I Used To.†As Van Etten repeats “I want to be myself,†the new single builds toward an exhilarating swell of confidence — just like you’d get from a good workout.