Brooklyn-based Waxahatchee, the solo project of Katie Crutchfield, is off to a surprisingly good start in terms of critical acclaim and notoriety. So far, Crutchfield’s sound is not too original, but there are hints that she might be capable of greater things.
Waxahatchee is a Brooklyn-based musical project fronted by Katie Crutchfield. Before forming Waxahatchee, Crutchfield played the guitar and sang in two bands, P.S. Eliot and The Ackleys. Neither of those bands penetrated too far into the mainstream, but Waxahatchee has already received national attention and critical acclaim after only a year of recording.
There is one song on Cerulean Salt that might give us a glimpse into the real Crutchfield, and that hopefully hints at greater things to come from this young talent. The album’s second track, ‘Dixie Cups and Jars’, is still reminiscent of a lot of other music—this time it’s more Warpaint or Grass Widow than Mirah—but it also has a uniqueness that’s missing from other Waxahatchee tracks. In this song, Crutchfield is using that slight twang to her advantage, combining it with a compelling urgency, passion, and frustration, to make a sound that’s all her own.
Hopefully, Crutchfield will continue with Waxahatchee, and will continue finding her unique sound along the lines of ‘Dixie Cups and Jars’. In that song, she sings, “I dream I dive into something greater.” That’s this listener’s dream, too. Her first two albums have at least proven that she’s capable of it.
