Waxahatchee Returns Wearier, Wiser and Even Better [stream]

Waxahatchee – Air SoundCloud

By now, most of the shock has worn off — Katie Crutchfield, Waxahatchee, writes great songs, and the entirety of her catalog overwhelmingly supports this. The real growth she’s exhibited recently, though, is in her arrangements and production. With “Air,” the lead single from her forthcoming third album, Ivy Tripp, she’s clearly found comfort and confidence with instrumentation beyond bedroom confessional balladry. The lyrics aren’t just dressed in the music but are clearly interwoven, and allow plenty of space for wordless vocal hooks over the ticking, shifting rhythms. Crutch field’s voice, though, is sublimely imperfect as always — her delivery never overwhelms her message. The mix is cleaner than anything on Cerulean Salt, and it very subtly uncoils the synth and secondary guitar lines with each chorus. If “Air” is any indication, Waxahatchee is returning better than ever. Ivy Tripp is available on Merge Records, out April 7.