Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield never set out to play country music. In her teens, she performed in a high school power pop band, The Ackleys, alongside her twin sister Allison. A few years later, the siblings formed PS Elliot, a riot grrrl group. They even nabbed a support slot with explosive punks Ceremony in their hometown of Birmingham, Alabama (ruffling a lot of feathers in the hardcore scene at the time).
But more recently, Katie Crutchfield has been leaning into the country thing. In 2017, she toured solo with her partner and Kansas City troubadour Kevin Morby. Heading out onto the stage armed with just her guitar, she performed stripped-back songs to the crowd. Morby reflected, “When I hear your voice and hear how you play, it's country music to me.” Since that acoustic epiphany, Crutchfield has embraced the new positioning wholeheartedly.
Take 2020’s Saint Cloud which, despite being released at the height of the pandemic, racked up rave reviews becoming a talisman for the self-isolation era. Or 2022’s team up with Texan songwriter Jessie Williams in roots-inspired project Plains. Her sixth record as Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood, soaks up the same Southern spirit. Crutchfield even returned to trusted producer Brad Cook and the same Sonic Ranch studios where she previously showered the mixing desk with Saint Cloud’s simple blues.
This time her sound is bolstered by Wednesday wunderkind and multi-instrumentalist MJ Lenderman. Recent single "Right Back To It" finds his rollicking guitar and heavy harmonies conjuring up the classic duets of Emmylou Harris & Gram Parsons. Standout Bored is primed for a live show singalong. While the album's namesake welcomes the rest of the band into chorus duties for a blissful closer. Crutchfield might’ve tried her hand at many styles and sounds during her career. But with Tigers Blood, she’s burning bright.
Listen to "Right Back To It":
