Waxahatchee
★★★★
Tigers Blood
ANTI-. CD/DL/LP
A strong but slow-burning follow-up to 2020 breakthrough Saint Cloud.
“My spine’s a rotted two by four,” sings Waxahatchee, AKA Katie Crutchfield, on Bored. More than its choice, but fairly minimalist alt-country arrangements, it’s Crutchfield’s nimble lyrical voice that distinguishes Tigers Blood, its 12 songs exploring friendships diverging at the crossroads and the anchoring, centring effects of her ongoing sobriety. With its measured banjo pecks and perfect shadow bv’s, courtesy of rising Southern rock talent MJ Lenderman, Right Back To It’s simple classicism seems to explore over-sensitivity, while Crowbar, possessed of a lovely, Peter Buck-ish jangle, also stands out. Amid the sophisticated shuffle groove of Lone Star Lake, the acrobatic scansion of Crutchfield’s self-analysis peaks. “In the drunkiness of free reign/I’m an outlaw in the court of strong opinions,” she sings. We’ve all been there, but which of us has expressed it so well?