Waxahatchee Comes In From the Storm

Katie Crutchfield is no stranger to stylistic shifts. Her band Waxahatchee began life as a lo-fi solo affair which she gradually fleshed out, culminating in 2017’s maximalist and superb Out in the Storm – at which point she took a hairpin turn and released an EP of hushed, stripped-down takes of earlier collaborations.

Prepare for more evolution when Saint Cloud arrives via Merge Records on March 27 (the title nods to a Florida town, not Minnesota’s). Expect a stately affair, for which Crutchfield hasn’t shied away from citing Lucinda Williams as a newfound influence. Saint Cloud may lack Storm’s alt-rock buzz, but Crutchfield’s vocal intensity has always been Waxahatchee’s calling card anyway.

Crutchfield – who also proudly reports having opted for sobriety over the past two years – brings Waxahachtee to Terminal West on April 26, with sorta alt-country Detroiters Bonny Doon serving as her backing band.

Photo by Molly Matalon.