ALBUM REVIEW: Waxahatchee Finds an Ease in Hard Lessons on ‘Tigers Blood’

It might make sense to look at Saint Cloud, the beloved, spellbinding 2020 album from Waxahatchee, as a kind of beginning, as its nucleus Katie Crutchfield took her first steps toward a more alt-country sound. Then, her 2022 collaboration with Jess Williamson, Plains, felt like another few steps (ND review). With her latest, Tigers Blood, Crutchfield has her feet firmly planted in this sonic universe, and she doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Collaborating once again with producer Brad Cook, Crutchfield has found her sweet spot — a cozy place to land that suits the songs she’s been writing lately.

Crutchfield is utterly present on Tigers Blood, at ease even when she’s mining the prickly stuff of relationships, insecurities, and self-acceptance. Her voice, with all its singular power, is especially grounded by harmonies from MJ Lenderman, which fit as perfectly as clasped hands with Crutchfield’s own. The two find a truly special chemistry on “Evil Spawn” and “Right Back to It,” soft-spun duets about all the messiest parts of growth.

Hints of Crutchfield’s indie rock roots come through on tunes like the simmering “Ice Cold” and “Bored,” with its rollicking guitar and her breathy, low register practically spitting verses before belting out the chorus. But it’s in standout tunes like “Lone Star Lake,” “Crowbar,” “Crimes of the Heart,” and the stunning title track where Crutchfield’s natural twang comes out (often alongside Phil Cook’s lovely, understated banjo) and this earthier sound blooms.

Crutchfield’s lyrics read like intricate poetry, their meaning sometimes mystifying, but it isn’t hard to pick up on the big themes across Tigers Blood. She sings of shedding dead weight — stale relationships, bad habits — and facing yourself head-on, even when it feels far too uncomfortable. She weaves in nostalgia and bits of ephemera, staging scenes, perhaps from her past, that feel undeniably specific and vivid. Her sobriety journey has been well-documented, but Tigers Blood lives in the wake of that difficulty, when the dust has settled and the stillness sets in.

Waxahatchee’s Tigers Blood is out March 22 on ANTI-.