Waxahatchee Tigers Blood LP

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 2024 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.

There's something bracing about the warmth she creates on Tigers Blood, particularly in how it emanates as much from the performances as it does the songs....Tigers Blood is the rarest of things: an album that feels familiar upon its surface and idiosyncratic in its details.