We are in a solid Country and Western resurgence. Cowboy romance books scatter every inch of my 'for you' page on TikTok, Ethel Cain is providing the 2020s American Gothic rebirth, Morgan Wallen is one of BST Hyde Park’s headliners this summer… We are mixing the classic, outdated genre with a contemporary reimagining to bring back Americana.
A prime example of this is Katie Crutchfield (or, Waxahatchee) and Tigers Blood. An album born of inspiration from the mundane, this is an album that strikes me as a record that embodies the art, creativity, music of life. It isn’t directly propelled by the intricacies of life. Katie is just documenting the emotions that have caught her in a spell of inspiration; not necessarily producing art for a higher being. As a result, this makes for a gorgeous ode to Country and Western music: there’s a focus on home, oneself, family connections, the beauty in simplicity… The naming of ‘Waxhatchee’ doesn’t go amiss - named after Katie’s hometown, she is the embodiment of country to a T.
Waxatchee’s last release, 2020’s Saint Cloud, is reflective of Katie’s 2017 decision to enter sobriety. 11 folk songs document the lifestyle since widening one’s eyes to their old ways. In comparison to the soul-searching that Katie undergoes throughout the tracks, Tigers Blood feels like coming home after being away. Maybe from a bigger city and maybe as someone new after an otherworldly trip from home, but when you return it all falls back into place as naturally as it ever did.
'If you’re not living you’re dying … I’ve been running from what you want' is a lyric from 3 Sisters, the first track on the album, showing the importance of staying true to oneself and living as you’re meant to. Katie is clearly in a space where she’s reforming her idea of importance and growing up. Her maturity bursts out of this album, a growth that was needed for her to feel like she’s truly living.
I think the modern attitude towards music and art is that it has to have a deeper meaning - while this is often true and a beautiful thing of connection, it means that art which is made for the sake of being made, to enjoy oneself in a creative process, is sometimes pushed aside and considered lower.
Songs that make for easy-listening are a delight to review. They’re simplistic and don’t find you clutching at straws for specific adjectives that describe it ‘just right’. Most of all, they have something new to enjoy and discover upon every listen.
It’s a lovely mix of upbeat and more slow tunes, flipping a genre occasionally shunned for its standard, samey existence on its head which is great. I’d say if you’re looking for something new and you enjoy a mix of everything amalgamated, this is the March release for you! If you’re more for a straight laced, set listening then it probably isn’t - but you might be pleasantly surprised.
In Crimes of the Heart, Katie sings I make it look easy every time and she’s right. She’s developed her musical style to simply be an expression of what she loves.
Not a single note or chord is out of place, or wasted. They all slip into their positions, their home, as if it was meant to be.
'"TIGERS BLOOD"
TO BE RELEASED ON 22 MARCH 2024
