The name of Katie Crutchfield’s solo musical project, Waxahatchee, comes from a creek close to her childhood home in Alabama. Ivy Tripp, her most recent album released by Merge Records, was recorded and engineered by Kyle Gilbride of Wherever Audio in Crutchfield’s current home on New York’s Long Island.
“The title Ivy Tripp is really just a term I made up for directionlessness, specifically of the 20-something, 30-something, 40-something of today, lacking regard for the complaisant life path of our parents and grandparents,” Crutchfield said.
On the cover of Ivy Tripp, Crutchfield stands in the midst of a forest, looking out. Her expression is intent and direct, simply declaring, “here I am.”
“Breathless” opens the album like a forest of sound where Crutchfield is your guide. “You always walk so slow…” Crutchfield sings. In the listener goes.
“Under a Rock,” follows, enticing listeners to get lost and kick up leaves. The guitars get louder, leading into the third track, “Poison,” which extends the rock sound. A change of tone comes with the fourth track, “La Loose,” where soft vocals and synthesizers reveal a poppy sunshiny field of melody.
These sonic changes set a tone for the rest of the album, which alternates and crosses styles between lovely layered pop, straightforward and reverberating rock, stripped down folk and hazy shoegaze.
Towards the very end of the album, the song “Half Moon” is a clear and simple keyboard driven track, like light out of the varied thicket of Waxahatchee’s forest. You can even hear the sound of birds as the track ends. “Bonfire” closes the album with full, heavy drums and the reverb of guitars – tying all the previous sound excursions up in an epic ending. “I say go ahead…” Crutchfield sings, and ahead the listener will go, only to want to start the record over and hear everything again.
“I just want to be the kind of musician I want to see in the world,” Crutchfield stated, regarding one of the aims of Ivy Tripp. “I want to present myself in a way that reflects that.”
Enter the forest and catch Waxahatchee live in Toledo on Saturday, May 9th. Don’t miss it.
2 pm. Culture Clash Records. 4020 Secor Rd. 419-536-5683. cultureclash.com Free
