Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud Review
Crutchfield’s voice has a southern lilt, only amplifying the country feel of the music. Her tone is clear, her range is impressive, and she emphasises each word nicely, highlighting her poetic lyrics.
Katie Crutchfield, Waxahatchee’s creator and composer, says in her interview with Apple Music that “place and setting have always been really huge in this project”. Saint Cloud has its basis in several locations in the American South, which is made fairly clear in Crutchfield’s music due to its “country” sound. Before this album came out I’d never heard of Waxahatchee but I’ve since listened to some of their other music and found it really enjoyable. There’s a wholesomeness to it and I think it’s an effective niche to occupy within the genre. There are clear elements of alternative pop but Crutchfield’s southern roots show through to create a relaxing and engaging vibe.
The album is consistent when it comes to its theme: locations. Waxahatchee work with this idea well and, although they do address various topics and feelings, they don’t stray too far from this thematic consistency. It’s nice to see this kind of reliability in a project; oftentimes artists write and release a collection of songs that don’t necessarily relate to one another which may as well be mix tapes or compilations. This isn’t always a necessarily bad thing but in concept albums like Saint Cloud it’s important to stick with the theme that’s been settled on — it’s important for the album to feel like it even has a concept. The band explores different emotions like love and loss, which are generally quite relatable subjects. The lyrics in each song are well written and flow nicely, using plenty of metaphorical language while still clearly establishing what each song is about. Crutchfield obviously has a knack for lyricism; her phrasing is good and each word seems purposeful, showing the care that she has for her music.
Saint Cloud has a simplicity to it that I can really appreciate as a first-time listener. In addition to the reliably simple time signatures (4/4 or 3/4), each song has an easygoing, regular chord progression. The instruments used the most are those most commonly found in modern bands (guitar, bass and drums) that work well together but these do not overpower the vocals. There’s also some use of keyboard and synth in a few songs which supports the rest of the music nicely. The instruments really show the country element of the album, sounding distinctly American; for example, in ‘War’, the electric guitar gives the song a western feel with the simple riffs and hammer-ons complemented by the rolling drums underneath. Both the instrumentals and vocals use only functional harmony – nothing fancy or technically complex – but it definitely works well with the genre. The overall sound reminds me of warm summer days and nights spent with my friends, which is a really good vibe for any musical project.
Crutchfield’s voice has a southern lilt, only amplifying the country feel of the music. Her tone is clear, her range is impressive, and she emphasises each word nicely, highlighting her poetic lyrics. There doesn’t seem to be use of autotune but her voice is pleasant to the extent that there aren’t any points on the album where she’s off key or out of tune. There is a fair amount of vocal harmony throughout, which bolsters the music with even more engaging depth. Having said that, even with the relatively high quality, each track is a little similar and some more complex harmonies or transpositions might have spiced it up a little. But honestly, it’s easy to overlook because of how nice and relaxed everything is. There’s a feel-good atmosphere to the album, with an easiness in the sound, which is really shown through the clean vocals.
Country music, in its essence, is about overcoming the pain and difficulties that life throws your way. Crutchfield takes her struggles and puts them into her music, which is clear from the lyrics. She sings about loss, addiction and her own sense of self-worth, taking the negative experiences from her life and pouring them into her songs. Lots of the topics she addresses are fairly relatable and while I consider the album easy and calming to listen to, I can also empathise with her issues and form a strong emotional connection to the music. Saint Cloud is nothing like the music I listen to regularly (metal, prog rock etc.) but the fact that I can still have a bond with it makes it all the more impressive to me. It promotes recovery and creativity which is something that I wish I saw more often in modern popular music.
Overall, I really admire the entire project that is Waxahatchee. It gives off a really good energy. Saint Cloud is one of those albums that I would only listen to if I was in a really specific mood but I like that aspect. It means that, when I do listen, I can appreciate it more. And, accordingly the album maintains a clear thematic core. The overall sound is great, merging instrumental and lyrical elements of country music with indie and alternative pop. The album is emotional, charming, and Crutchfield clearly has a lot of talent that she let flow into it. When I first read about it, I didn’t really think I’d enjoy it but now, when I need to feel calm or grounded, I know what to listen to. There are very few albums that I’d give 100/100, and unfortunately this isn’t one of them, but Saint Cloud hit me much harder than expected which is why it sits comfortably in the mid 80s for me.