Waxahatchee
‘Tigers Blood’ by Waxahatchee
One of the hardest working singer-songwriters in the game is named Katie Crutchfield. She was born in Alabama, grew up near Waxahatchee Creek. Skipped town and struck out on her own as Waxahatchee. That was over a decade ago. Crutchfield says she never knew the road would lead her here, but after six critically acclaimed albums, she’s never felt more confident in herself as an artist. While her sound has evolved from lo-fi folk to lush alt-tinged country, her voice has always remained the same. Honest and close, poetic with Southern lilting. Much like Carson McCullers’s Mick Kelly, determined in her desires and convictions, ready to tell whoever will listen.
And after years of being sober and stable in Kansas City–after years of sacrificing herself to her work and the road–Crutchfield has arrived at her most potent songwriting yet. On her new album, Tigers Blood, Crutchfield emerges as a powerhouse–an ethnologist of the self–forever dedicated to revisiting her wins and losses. But now she’s arriving at revelations and she ain’t holding them back.
Crutchfield says that she wrote most of the songs on ‘Tigers Blood’ during a “hot hand spell,” while on tour in the end of 2022. And when it came time to record, Crutchfield returned to her trusted producer Brad Cook, who brought her sound to a groundbreaking turning point on 2020’s Saint Cloud.
They hunkered down at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas–a border town known for cotton and pecans–and searched for another turn, waited for a sign. Initially, MJ Lenderman, Southern indie-rock wunderkind (much like Crutchfield when she started out) came to play electric guitar and sing on “Right Back To It.” But as soon as they tracked it, Cook told Lenderman he had to stay for the rest of the album. And he did.
“Right Back To It” is ‘Tigers Blood’’s lead single. A nod to country duets like Gram and Emmylou, winding over a steadfast banjo from Phil Cook. Together, Crutchfield and Lenderman harmonize on the chorus: “I’ve been yours for so long/We come right back to it/I let my mind run wild/Don’t know why I do it/But you just settle in/Like a song with no end.” Crutchfield says it’s the first real love song she’s ever written.
The song “Bored” opens with blase drum beats from Spencer Tweedy that crash under Crutchfield as she throws her voice high: “I can get along/ My spine’s a rotted two by four/Barely hanging on/My benevolence just hits the floor.” Lenderman’s scuzzy riffs and Nick Bockrath’s climbing pedal steel add power to the album’s most ‘Southern Rock’ a la Drive-By Truckers moment.
“365” is a story of recognition told from a hard-won place of self-acceptance/forgiveness.
Crutchfield initially started writing it for Wynonna Judd, with whom she has written and performed in the past, until the lyrics started hitting closer and closer to home. The writer Annie Ernaux says, “writing is to fight forgetting.” Like Lucinda Williams, Crutchfield’s lyrics are memoir. Throughout ‘Tigers Blood’ Crutchfield is addressing a “you,” but the ‘you’ in “365” evokes raw closeness, vulnerability. “Ya ain’t had much luck but grace is/In the eye of the beholder/And I had my own ideas but/I carried you on my shoulders, anyways.” “365” is essentially ‘Tigers Blood’’s aria about addiction, with little to no accompaniment to Crutchfield’s voice. Her backing band is hushed, as if the spotlight’s coming down on her, alone on the stage, giving her testimony. Crutchfield slings her voice with arresting precision, reaching its highest harmony on the whole album. “So when you kill, I kill/And when you ache, I ache/And we both haunt this old lifeless town/And when you fail, I fail/ When you fly, I fly/And it’s a long way to come back down.”
“365” circles back to the beginning of ‘Tigers Blood,’ where Crutchfield’s words ring clear as a bell. Album opener “3 Sisters” starts with Crutchfield singing over hymn-like piano chords: “I pick you up inside a hopeless prayer/I see you beholden to nothing/I make a living crying it ain’t fair/And not budging.” ‘Tigers Blood’ is Crutchfield at her most confident and resilient. Staring straight at the truth, forgiving but not forgetting, not batting an eye.
— Ashleigh Bryant Phillips
More Events
Explore The Neighbourhood
Salsa Como Loco
A 10 piece Salsa Band playing a mix of New York and Cuban Salsa. Set up by members of various bands including The Peace Artistes,…
Learn MoreAn evening with debut author Sarah Brooks
Join us in the shop as we meet Leeds based author Sarah Brooks and talk to her about her debut nostalgic fiction novel The Cautious…
Learn MoreRooftop Experience at Temple Newsam
Explore Temple Newsam House and Estate as you’ve never seen them before. The experience starts with and introduction to this stunning house and collections –…
Learn MoreJon Langford & The Bright Shiners
Jon Langford and the Bright Shiners play an intimate gig in Otley at UPCO as part of SPEAK UP! The Bright Shiners is a new…
Learn MoreAnything Could Happen @Seven Arts
We have no idea what stories we’ll tell this month, although, to be fair, we never do. Ours is the only show where kids get…
Learn MoreChemistry 13: Martin Figura, Barbara Hickson and Al for Aluminium
Chemistry is back on Friday 31 May, with another night of poetry and spoken word, two brilliant headliners and our amazing open mic. This time…
Learn MoreNikoz Greek & Mediterranean Restaurant
Nikoz Greek and Mediterranean Restaurant is a warm, friendly Greek Restaurant in the heart of the beautiful town of Ossett. Serving up traditional Greek dishes…
Learn MoreBibis Italianissimo Restaurant & Cocktail Bar
Established in 1974, an authentic family owned Italian Restaurant and cocktail bar in Leeds City Centre. Home of the sensational showtime – Our stage comes…
Learn MoreTruly Scrummy
A unique café based in the heart of Horsforth community, Truly Scrummy delivers a wide range of products made fresh on site whilst supporting local…
Learn MoreThe Barn Coffee Shop
One of the inspirations behind Acoustic Nights @ The Barn in Meanwood, Leeds is to introduce high-quality music reaching out to the local lively community.…
Learn MoreOlympus Bakery & Café
Olympus Bakery & Café is an independent café located in the heart of Ossett, Wakefield. Inspired by the Greek cuisine and coffee, they serve authentic…
Learn MoreNorthlight 31
Gallery, cafe and community space in the old Inkwell building on Potternewton Lane https://northlight31.com/
Learn MoreClifton Village Hall
Located just outside the historic market town of Otley and set in the stunning surroundings of the Wharfe Valley, Clifton Village Hall is the perfect…
Learn MoreVelvet
We do the drinks. You bring the party. Once up on a time in a merrie city called Wakefield there once was a bar called…
Learn MoreThe Bradbury Building !!
The Bradbury Building is the office of Age UK and is a community hub and meetings space. “hello”
Learn MoreQuaker Meeting House
Visitors of all faiths or none are welcome at any of our meetings. If you are looking for somewhere to worship in the Leeds area…
Learn MoreThe Den Family Club
Located in the vibrant community of Headingley, the Den is a sought-after family club offering a range of fun-filled activities, with a drop-off playroom, offering…
Learn MoreThe Polka Hop
The Polka Hop is a family and dog friendly, music loving, real ale pub near the heart of Wakefield. We sell premium real ales, top…
Learn MoreOL Horbury
OL Horbury is small independent café bar located on the high street in Horbury. We offer a relaxed quirky hygge environment with a large outdoor…
Learn MoreYAFTA International
Academy for film and television acting – education and training specialist
Learn MoreUnity Through Music Studio
Unity Through Music Studio is a Professional Recording Studio Supporting Teenager Cancer Awareness & The Donovan S Webster Trust fund in Leeds.
Learn More