Twangy punkish diary entries of a 20something

Katie Crutchfield has spent a good portion of her adult life transcribing the honest experience of living into carefully spun songs with a hint of Alabama twang and a lot of influence from the Philly scene. Waxahatchee‰’s Ivy Tripp is her third release, although her first under record producing giant Merge. Compared to her previous DIY releases, there‰’s something about Ivy Tripp that just sounds bigger. While the songs are somewhat dauntingly minimalistic (“Stale By Noon‰” is the same bell tone melody on repeat with Crutchfield singing over it,) the earnest emotion Crutchfield is able to give off in her vocals is nothing short of immense. The song “<‰” is one of few to use a full-band arrangement underneath Crutchfield heartily singing “you‰'re less than me/ I am nothing.‰” Sadly, and perhaps due to growing notoriety, there‰'s also something lacking about the album. There‰'s no song that will tear your heart to shreds or keep you crying all night long, despite what fans have come to expect from previous releases. The songs lack the sheer emotional transparency that was so desirable to me off American Weekend, the artist‰'s first album. “La Loose‰” is a synthy poptone beat with some falsetto over it, not quite a brutal tearjerker. And yes, Crutchfield‰'s lyrical honesty and distinct vocals make this a good album, but the only song that properly conveys the weight of the world is “Air,‰” with haunting harmonies and Crutchfield giving it her all until the concluding “you were patiently giving me everything that I will never need.‰” That‰'s the Waxahatchee I want, the one that recognizes just how heavy being human can be. Crutchfield has described Ivy Tripp as a gas, and previous release Cerulean Salt as a solid. While there‰’s nothing inherently wrong in being expansive, I personally find myself missing the old concrete.

Recommended: 4, 8, 9, 11

RIYL: Hop Along, P.S. Eliot, Frankie Cosmos