Album Review: Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud

American singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield is back for a fifth time under the moniker Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud an apex release for the artist.

While previous Waxahatchee offerings have featured knowing nods to Crutchfield’s southern US upbringing, Saint Cloud is a full-blown love letter to her Alabama roots. Singing about arid dustbowls and ramblin’ by her man, the album is awash with toe-tapping rodeo saloon vibes. From shimmering steel-string guitars to a light smattering of mandolin throughout tracks like Arkadelphia and Can’t Do Much, there’s plenty to unpack within the 11-track LP. It’s certainly a more acoustic and country-driven record – a far cry from her previous releases – but it feels as natural as anything she’s done before. Crutchfield lays her heart out across the entirety of the album while Marty Robbins and Orville Peck-style instrumentation glistens underneath.

Waxahatchee diehards may find Saint Cloud a harder pill to swallow, but give into the Old West veneer and it’s obvious that the good old Crutchfield magic hasn’t gone anywhere.