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The development of Waxahatchee has been one of the most enjoyable journeys in modern music. Starting with the fragile and unsteady Cerulean Salt in 2013 and culminating in Saint Cloud, her transition to Americana in 2020, Katie Crutchfield has captured the highs and lows of life in her intimate yet expansive songs that delve into the heart of it all. On Tigers Blood, she comes back with clarity and energy, presenting a country album filled with catchy, stirring tunes that evoke memories of warm summer nights, deep conversations, and wistful remorse.
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These are tracks composed by an individual who has experienced life and discovered it to be both intricate and simple at the same time. There is no continuous storyline: the album consists of moments and emotions that reflect on the complexity of existence. Crutchfield delves into the paradox of songwriting, her tendency towards anger, friendships that are unstable and crumble, and love that only becomes clear with hindsight – as seen in Lone Star Lake: “My life has been meticulously planned out / But I still feel a little lost.” She presents it all in a carefully selected combination of country and punk, with the sharpness of her earlier works gently mellowing into a pleasant fuzz.
Crutchfield’s music features lively tunes and energetic choruses, but also incorporates cliches and mixed metaphors (especially on the track “Crowbar”, where it constantly references itself). The lyrics create a sort of mental puzzle – if you focus too much, you might get confused, but if you view it from a different perspective, it becomes clearer. Crutchfield has stated that unlike her previous album Saint Cloud, Tigers Blood does not have a specific storyline, but rather evokes a sense of positivity and joy.
Source: theguardian.com
