Seeing an “x” in this band’s name and assuming I’d be spending my day in the TMT newsroom listening to sweet, sweet hardcore, I hastily volunteered to write about Waxahatchee’s new album, Ivy Tripp (out April 7 via Merge/Wichita Recordings and following 2013’s savory-sounding Cerulean Salt) when the boss man was doling out assignments in our usual morning meeting/paper football game.
Turns out, though, that I’m an idiot. Waxahatchee is actually the more-or-less “solo project” (yeah, you know how it is with these noncommittal indie rock weiners…) of Katie Crutchfield, who plays, well, indie rock. You know: it’s all breezy, but also kinda aggressive… sort of like a day at the beach, but an annoyingly windy day at the beach?
I mean, I don’t know. Sorry. I’m just a little bummed right now. But I’m trying my best to picture Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye sort of digging a few of these songs, which, by the way, were all “recorded and engineered by Kyle Gilbride of Wherever Audio at Crutchfield’s home on New York’s Long Island,” with “drums recorded in the gym of a local elementary school” — which is actually kinda hardcore. You know what, it’s actually kinda working! My Black Flag-tattooed toes are tapping! Let’s hear from Crutchfield herself about this album. Why not!
My life has changed a lot in the last two years, and it’s been hard for me to process my feelings other than by writing songs. I think a running theme [of Ivy Tripp] is steadying yourself on shaky ground and reminding yourself that you have control in situations that seem overwhelming, or just being cognizant in moments of deep confusion or sadness, and learning to really feel emotions and to grow from that.
Oh, fuck, forget all I said about the hardcore. You can pre-order it now on “limited-edition colored vinyl” (complete with autographed poster) at the Merge webstore and super un-hardcore digital philistine-style via iTunes dot com, and there’s also a song below and some spring tour dates in the works. Other than that, you’re on your own. Later, guys.
Waxahatchee tourdates:
01.26.15 - London, UK - St. Pancras Church
01.28.15 - Paris, France - L’espace B
01.31.15 - Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
02.01.15 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
02.04.15 - Berlin, Germany - Monarch
04.07.15 - Washington, DC - The Black Cat ^
04.08.15 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer ^%
04.09.15 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg ^%
04.10.15 - Harrisonburg, VA - Clementine ^
04.11.15 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle Backroom ^
04.12.15 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight ^
04.13.15 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn ^
04.15.15 - Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree ^
04.16.15 - Gainesville, FL - The Wooly ^
04.17.15 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under ^
04.18.15 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall ^
04.19.15 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa ^
04.20.15 - Houston, TX - Walters Downtown ^
04.21.15 - Austin, TX - Red 7 ^
04.22.15 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves ^
04.24.15 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister %
04.25.15 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar %
04.26.15 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah %
04.28.15 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy %
04.29.15 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall %
05.01.15 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir %
05.03.15 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile %
05.06.15 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club %
05.07.15 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle %
05.08.15 - Chicago, IL - The Beat Kitchen %
05.09.15 - Detroit, MI - UFO %
05.10.15 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison %
05.11.15 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB %
05.12.15 - Burlington, VT - The Monkey House %
05.13.15 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair %
05.14.15 - East Greenwich, RI - Greenwich Odeum %
06.08.15 - Koln, Germany - Blue Shell
06.10.15 - London, UK - Electric Ballroom
06.11.15 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece
06.12.15 - Manchester, UK - The Ruby Lounge
06.13.15 - Dublin, Ireland - Button Factory
06.14.15 - Belfast, Northern Ireland - McHughs
06.15.15 - Glasgow, UK - Stereo
06.16.15 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny
06.17.15 - Leeds, UK - The Brudenell Social Club
06.18.15 - Sheffield, UK - The Harley
06.19.15 - Southampton, UK - Joiners
06.20.15 - Brighton, UK - Bleach
^ The Goodbye Party
% Girlpool
• Waxahatchee: http://www.waxahatcheemusic.com
• Merge: http://www.mergerecords.com
• Wichita Recordings: http://www.wichita-recordings.com
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