“I try to write in a way that’s relatable to anyone with any problem,” Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield says of Tigers Blood. But is that what her fans want from her, or is it all a bit country Coldplay? The American singer-songwriter’s last Waxahatchee album, 2020’s Saint Cloud, was a critical hit and career gamechanger. That sort of acclaim can lead to artists overthinking a follow-up, torn between more of the same and the shock of the new.
Crutchfield rides a middle road here. Same producer yet different band; same sprightly Americana vibe yet more emotionally placid than its predecessor, which recounted a troubled reckoning with her newfound sobriety. “I make a living crying, it ain’t fair,” she wryly notes on opener 3 Sisters, but there’s barely a wobbling lip here, let alone tears.
