Katie Crutchfield's southern roots are undeniable. The name of her solo musical project Waxahatchee comes from a creek not far from her childhood home in Alabama and seems to represent both where she came from and where she's going. Since leaving home, Crutchfield has drifted between New York and Philadelphia but chose to return to Alabama to write her first two albums: 'American Weekend', her debut filled with powerful lo-fi acoustic tracks full of lament, and'Cerulean Salt', a more developed and solid narrative about growing up.

Waxahatchee's latest record, Ivy Tripp, drifts confidently from these previous albums and brings forth a more informed and powerful recognition of where Crutchfield has currently found herself. The lament and grieving for her youth seem to have been replaced with control and sheer self-honesty. '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,' says Crutchfield.

Recorded and engineered by Kyle Gilbride of Wherever Audio, Crutchfield is accompanied by both Gilbride and Keith Spencer on Ivy Tripp, and the record was produced by all three of them. With the addition of more guitar work, piano, drum machines, and Crutchfield's vocals in full bloom, we are given a record that feels more emphatic and pronounced.

As far as her goals with Ivy Tripp, Crutchfield says, 'I heard someone say that you have to be the change you want to see. I just want to be the kind of musician I want to see in the world. I want to present myself in a way that reflects that.'

Catch Waxahatchee on their Bristol debut this summer at The Fleece, Bristol.

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