Saint Cloud

Waxahatchee

Saint Cloud

Fifth full-length release from the New York City-via-Alabama indie singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield produced by Brad Cook

ADM rating[?]

8.4

Label
Merge
UK Release date
27/03/2020
US Release date
27/03/2020
  1. 10.0 |   The Independent

    Written just after Crutchfield decided to get sober, Saint Cloud offers up a sort of gradual unmasking
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  2. 10.0 |   The Guardian

    With tracks that nestle in heartache and bask in hard-won wisdom, this is an artefact of American song that measures up to Dylan at his peak
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  3. 9.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    It holds the best batch of Waxahatchee songs yet, with Crutchfield at her most candid, raw and clear-eyed. This is the work of someone who’s begun to write a bold new chapter in her life, and it’s special stuff
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  4. 9.1 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Katie Crutchfield captures the complex feelings of growing up in a way we can all embrace
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  5. 9.0 |   PopMatters

    A high point in an already impressive career. Saint Cloud finds an artist operating at the top of her game to produce a thrilling and inspirational work
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  6. 9.0 |   Clash

    In hindsight, Waxahatchee’s gritty 2017 LP ‘Out In The Storm’ seems like Crutchfield scouring off the last of her restless youth. ‘Saint Cloud’ is the refreshed, reformed and matured Waxahatchee – and it’s glorious
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  7. 9.0 |   DIY

    It chronicles not just the journey but the revelations of love, life and death that comes with it
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  8. 9.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Katie Crutchfield invites us to embrace it all – the adventures, the fuck ups, the heartache – because after all, our embers will only glow as brightly as our fires once burned
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  9. 9.0 |   Paste Magazine

    Katie Crutchfield salutes alt-country luminaries like Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch on this extraordinary instant classic
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  10. 9.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Intimate revelations have long served as the linchpins of Crutchfield’s finest songs
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  11. 9.0 |   Exclaim

    A refreshing listen from an exceptional singer-songwriter that shatters the myth of hard-living artists and proves that great artists can make great art without a drink
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  12. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    This stunningly pretty ode to recovery is Crutchfield’s finest work, and possibly her masterpiece
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  13. 9.0 |   Gigwise

    An ode to home, filled with intimacy, people and place
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  14. 8.7 |   Pitchfork

    With a shift in tone and tempo, Katie Crutchfield creates a vivid modern classic of folk and Americana. It’s the sound of a cherished songwriter thawing out under the sun
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  15. 8.5 |   Under The Radar

    Saint Cloud is an instinctual high-water mark for Crutchfield and clear early contender for end of the year lists
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  16. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Katie Crutchfield’s enunciation is pure poetry
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  17. 8.0 |   The Music

    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
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  18. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    An elemental voice for our weary souls, Saint Cloud marks a moment of reckoning for Katie Crutchfield
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  19. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    The album is marked by songs that are at once deeply intimate and broadly accessible
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  20. 8.0 |   Q

    This utterly beautiful balm of a record feels less like a confessional, and more a vessel for warmth, serenity and worldly wisdom. Print edition only

  21. 8.0 |   Mojo

    A thick braid of an album, each song a bundle of strands interweaving with next. Print edition only

  22. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Katie Crutchfield backs her sharp observations with a sound that reflects her Southern roots
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  23. 8.0 |   All Music

    While alternating between regretful slower tracks, midtempo drawls, and livelier, foot-tapping fare, the album never moves off dirt roads and adjacent orchards, and proves to be her most carefree-sounding effort to date
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  24. 8.0 |   Long Live Vinyl

    Transitioning into a kind of Americana pop is something Crutchfield makes seem like the most natural thing in the world
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  25. 8.0 |   Crack

    From the elegant and wistful guitar riffs on tracks like Can’t Do Much to her Alabama accent flying high on Lilacs, hearing Crutchfield lean into her Southern roots feels her most natural expression yet
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  26. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Gone is the noise of her previous efforts, in its place a renewed, fresher perspective, Americana sound and occasional country twang
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  27. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    With barely a weak track to be heard, it all adds up to an album that sees Waxahatchee move up to another level. It’s the sound of a woman at peace with herself, and Crutchfield’s newfound serenity makes for a wonderful listen
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  28. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Back to her country roots with clearer vision
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  29. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Its highest points are just as good as anything Waxacatchee has ever done
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  30. 7.0 |   American Songwriter

    This more elusive, rootsy style suits Crutchfield well. It allows space to capture a clearer eyed vision of a life she’s still trying to balance, sort out and work through …just like the rest of us
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  31. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    For those not bothered to peer that closely, Saint Cloud is still a pleasing album of simple melodies and warm orchestration that’s perfect for driving to. A pick-up isn’t necessary but certainly optimal
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