I was on the fence about Waxahatchee, aka Katie Crutchfield, prior to SXSW. I dug some of the tracks on her prior album, Cerculean Salt, but not enough to really rope me in. So when the SXSW Gods slipped her on to a Tuesday night showcase with Ryler Walker, Steve Gunn, TORESS and Angel Olsen; I figured this was my chance to come to a verdict.
The show was at The Mohawk and Crutchfield was playing solo. Crutchfield had this innocence that kicked off a vibe like she was shocked to be there. At one point, her sister came out to lend a hand on harmonies. It was heartwarming moment as they knocked out a few tunes. In reading this “I think a running theme [of Ivy Tripp] is steadying yourself on shaky ground and reminding yourself that you have control in situations that seem overwhelming, or just being cognizant in moments of deep confusion or sadness, and learning to really feel emotions and to grow from that,” her demeanor really made sense.
To steady herself for her Merge Records debut, Crutchfield leans heavily on the music of her youth {sadly the music of my young adulthood}. It is a varied trip through 90s college rock that is enjoyable as it is challenging. People are always bitching that new music isn’t original, that they are playing the music of their youth. Well, no shit. Good musicians are influenced by people they respect and admire. Hopefully they take that, put their own spin it and come up with something different and/or better. And then they grow from there, becoming influenced by their peers.
Crutchfield has done that with Ivy Tripp. Part of the beauty of Ivy Tripp is that its all over the place. Some slow brooding tunes like the opener Breathless. The second track, Under A Rock, would have been on the radio and 120 Minutes during the 90. I love the way she counts of at the beginning, almost reinforcing the innocence. There’s a little anger and angst that mixes well with my perceived innocence.
La Loose works in a drum machine which will usually draw my ire. But after the thick and heavy track, Poison, it really lends an update pop feeling to the album. Lastly, Air is one of my favorites. Its a slow, deliberate track where Crutchfield examines a fraying relationship. The plodding rhythm section gives Crutchfield plenty of space to really leave her stamp.
Immediately after returning home, I emailed Merge for my review copy. I haven’t stopped listening since. I suggest you do the same.
Follow me on Twitter at @WoodyHearYa
Waxahatchee is here
