ARTIST: Waxahatchee
TITLE: Ivy Tripp
YEAR RELEASED: 2015
CHART ACTION: #153
SINGLES: The Dirt, Air, Under a Rock, La Loose
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: I bet you heard some on some indie radio stations.
LINEUP: Katie Crutchfield, Keith Spencer, Kyle Gilbride
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: Katie Crutchfield leaps forward, taking her songs into almost a full-rock band sound, without sacrificing quality nor vulnerability.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: Moving to Merge Records and recording over a period of time in Long Island with her two collaborators (who are also in her sister’s band), Katie Crutchfield’s Waxahatchee project moves toward a full band experience. The hooks are still there, but the sound is definitely a bit more layered. Waxahatchee is more experimental here, adding in sonic elements not found on the simpler recordings.
The subject matter is about a transition between feelings of love and feelings of loss, like most of adulthood. And while the sound is fuller, the songs are just as rich and personal as her lo-fi recordings.
Crutchfield’s progress toward a recording artist working with a full band but when she’s on her own at guitar or piano, she’s as powerful and out front. Still a hidden gem, Crutchfield is asecending slowly and surely.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: Ivy Tripp is a term she made up about the directionless folks living today.
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: No
GRADE A: This is solidly written, arranged, and produced. What more do you want?