Waxahatchee
“American Weekend”
(Delta Queen)

Katie Crutchfield’s ascent to being one of the most prolific songwriters in today’s DIY punk scene continues with her second release under the Waxahatchee moniker, “American Weekend.”

Truthfully, I like the songs on this recording a bit more than on her earlier split. The songs are still stripped down and recorded to tape, but as a full-length, there’s more dynamics in the tunes. Songs like the caustic “luminary blake” are off set by poppier numbers like “be good.”

I feel like this is one of those albums that you’re going to like or not. There’s a vulnerability that Crutchfield shows on this record that, while is present in PS Eliot, resonates throughout the entire recording. It’s very bittersweet, but I feel like that’s what makes it so appealing. The genuine nature of Waxahatchee is what sets this project apart from other acoustic troubadours (yo, Chris Carrabba, I’m looking at you) and I’ll continue to listen to this while my copy of “Swiss Army Romance” was discarded to the record store’s buy back program long ago.

— Ryan Pangilinan