Waxahatchee, ‘Tigers Blood,’ March 22, 2024
Waxahatchee’s sixth studio album, Tigers Blood, marks a significant evolution in Katie Crutchfield’s musical journey, blending her lo-fi indie roots with a rich alt-country sound. At its core, Tigers Blood is an exploration of resilience, nostalgia, self-reflection, and the passage of time. The album delves into the complexities of past experiences and the bittersweet nature of memories, inviting listeners to reflect on their own journeys and growth. The title track, Tigers Blood, encapsulates these themes with vivid imagery and poignant reflections, evoking a mix of nostalgia and introspection. Crutchfield’s storytelling prowess shines throughout Tigers Blood. Her lyrics are imbued with a sense of nostalgia, introspection, and coming to terms with the past. In the album’s opener, 3 Sisters, where Crutchfield delivers the first words in a tentative hush, her lyrics are unfailingly earnest, carrying a piercing wit and candor. She burrows into turns of phrase and emphasizes unexpected syllables in ways that are both subtle and revelatory. In Lone Star Lake, the narrator suggests a reckless, combustible coupling, with chaos and sadness lurking beneath the surface. Yet, the song’s languid bass, banjo, and lead guitar cast it in the colors of a lakeside sunset, luxuriating in the romantic memory of a time that was objectively dark but felt golden. In Evil Spawn, Crutchfield sings, “What you thought was enough now seems insane,” atop ascending riffs. This song, like many others on the album, exudes a kind of contentment and wisdom, reflecting an artist who is more reflective and self-assured than before. The musical style of Tigers Blood is a blend of alt-country, indie rock, and folk influences. Crutchfield’s voice remains a focal point, characterized by its honesty, closeness, and Southern lilting. The production on Tigers Blood is polished and expansive, featuring a range of instrumentation, including banjo, pedal steel, electric guitar, which represents a departure from her earlier lo-fi folk sound in Saint Cloud. The presence of MJ Lenderman, particularly on tracks like Right Back to It, enhances the album with his plaintive harmonies and guitar work, adding depth and texture to the songs. While Saint Cloud reinvented Waxahatchee for the sake of a redemption narrative, Tigers Blood shows how her older sound and older self are still part of her even amidst that reinvention.
If I swerve in and out of my lane
Burning up an old flame
Turn a jealous eye
I’ll fall down into a fair game
Lick a wound that was not ever mine
I get ahead of myself
Refusing anyone’s help
Billie Eilish, ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,’ May 17, 2024
It isn’t asking for a lot for an apology
For making me feel like it’d kill you if I tried to leave
You said you’d never fall in love again because of me
Then you moved on immediately
Billie Eilish’s third studio album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, is a deeply introspective album that explores themes of love, heartbreak, self-perception, and societal norms. Eilish’s lyrics are a window into her soul, revealing a young woman grappling with the complexities of fame, identity, and personal growth. The album’s opening track, SKINNY, sets the tone with its exploration of self-image and societal expectations, where Eilish sings, “People say I look happy/Just because I got skinny/But the old me is still me and maybe the real me/And I think she’s pretty.” This vulnerability and self-awareness permeate the entire album, making it a deeply personal and relatable experience. The album also delves into themes of queerness and love, particularly in tracks like LUNCH and L’AMOUR DE MA VIE. LUNCH is Eilish’s first explicitly queer song, featuring lyrics like “She’s the headlights, I’m the deer…But she might be the one.” This exploration of sexuality is a significant step for Eilish, adding another layer of depth to her already multifaceted persona. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is a genre-bending masterpiece, where Eilish and her brother, Finneas, experiment with various musical styles and structures. The album features a mix of synth-pop, electro-pop, and confessional ballads, with each track offering something unique. A bold sonic element of this album is its use of beat-switches and transitions. Tracks like Wildflower and Bittersuite feature dramatic shifts in tone and style, keeping the listener engaged and on their toes; L’Amour De Ma Vie transitions from retro-pop to electro-pop in a seamless beat-switch that is both infectious and surprising. These transitions are executed flawlessly, showcasing Eilish and Finneas’s ability to push the boundaries of conventional song structures. Compared with Eilish’s previous works, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP and Happier Than Ever, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is sharp, sensual, and revelatory, completing a sublime coming-of-age trilogy for Eilish. The album explores Eilish’s youth and fame, framing her introspection in the context of her towering celebrity status while highlighting her range, from plaintive synth-pop to confessional ballads. In short, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is indubitably one of the best albums of 2024.
I knew you in another life
You had that same look in your eyes
I love you, don’t act so surprised
St. Vincent, ‘All Born Screaming,’ April 26, 2024
All Born Screaming, the sixth studio album of Annie Clark (St. Vincent), marks a significant milestone in her career, as it is the first time she has taken on the role of sole producer, allowing her to fully realize her creative vision. All Born Screaming is a deeply introspective album that explores the concept of life, death, love, and identity. In an interview with World Cafe, Clark described the album as being about “life and death and love, and that’s it.” This thematic focus is evident throughout the album, with songs that delve into the complexities of human emotion and experience. The album is divided into two parts: a darker, more intense first half, followed by a more tender and introspective second half. This structure allows Clark to explore a wide range of emotions and sonic textures, creating a dynamic and immersive listening experience. Throughout the album, Clark’s words resonate with honesty and vulnerability, tackling themes identity, desire, and resilience. In Broken Man, she sings about spiraling out after the loss of a loved one, with lyrics that are both haunting and deeply moving. Musically, the album is a diverse and eclectic mix of styles, incorporating elements of rock, electronic, and avant-garde. Clark’s willingness to experiment with different sounds and genres is evident throughout the record, from the industrial rock influences on Flea to the dreamy balladry of Violent Times. This diversity of sound is one of the album’s greatest strengths, as it keeps the listener engaged and constantly surprised. Inher first self-produced album, Clark’s fingerprints are on every aspect of the record, from the intricate guitar work to the carefully crafted electronic elements. For instance, the titular song starts with a delightful breezy indie opening and transitions to a drone with a choir-like finish. The song’s structure is unconventional, with a sudden silence halfway through that then fades into a heartbeat-like sound before returning to its eerie melody.
Drip you in diamonds, pour you in cream
You will be mine for eternity
Hair in my shears fall at your feet
You will be mine for eternity