Waxahatchee
Ivy Tripp(Merge)
Ivy Tripp is the third LP by Waxahatchee, the solo project of Alabama-bred Philadelphian Katie Crutchfield (Swearin’) who writes music with a raw honesty that make you feel like she is singing directly to you, or for you.
According to Crutchfield, to “ivy tripp”, is to embody the directionlessness of Gen X and Y who would rather drift then settle. This theme rings true throughout the record, particularly in songs like “<” and “Poison," the latter in which she sings “you get lazy, you get boring, you jump the train”. She channels her inner -‘90s, scrappy indie rocker in songs like “Under a Rock” and album-closer "Bonfire," an epic, brooding piece that builds upon itself in a snowball of distorted guitars.
On Ivy Tripp, Crutchfield sounds her most confident to date, taking your hand and high-fiving you as you “ivy tripp” through life, sounding neither empathetic nor apathetic. She’s simply aware that sometimes life gets messy and confusing, and as she sings in the stunning “Half Moon”: “the darkness and music are a perfect escape”.
Rating: 4/5
