Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
Critic Score
Based on 37 reviews
2020 Ratings: #55 / 871
Year End Rank: #7
User Score
2020 Rank: #292
Liked by 127 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
The Independent

On the American singer-songwriter’s fifth album, Saint Cloud, luscious melodies are undercut by a lingering unease, sentimentality by steeliness.

100
The Guardian
Aided by unfussy, clean but never sterile production by Brad Cook – and perhaps the sobriety she has recently embraced – the haze has lifted and her songwriting can really be seen.
95
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.
91
Consequence of Sound

She embraces the messiness of growing up and taking responsibility for one’s actions and composes the apex of everything she’s accomplished thus far. Saint Cloud offers us the best possible version of Crutchfield she could possibly give us.

90
Paste

Saint Cloud is the sound of Katie Crutchfield at her most conscious, comfortable and controlled.

90
Spectrum Culture

Saint Cloud marks Crutchfield’s evolution from gifted songwriter into masterful storyteller, standing shoulder to guitar-slung shoulder beside Lucinda Williams and Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. It is the sound of the rainbow that follows the storm.

90
DIY

‘Saint Cloud’ is the rousing of a regenerated spirit that chronicles not just the journey but the revelations of love, life and death that comes with it. A very special album indeed.

90
Sputnikmusic

She’s as lucid as we’ve ever heard her, stripping down to her emotional core and daring us to make eye contact.

90
PopMatters

Saint Cloud, like Car Wheels, finds an artist operating at the top of her game, embracing, as Crutchfield put it, "the contradictions and the unknown" to produce a thrilling and inspirational work.

90
Clash

‘Saint Cloud’ is the refreshed, reformed and matured Waxahatchee – and it’s glorious.

90
Exclaim!

Saint Cloud is 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.

90
Gigwise

Saint Cloud offers guidance, accepting that not even something we idolise and long for in society is perfect, in most cases it is messy, complicated and difficult, whilst still hinting that it may all be worth it.

90
Loud and Quiet

The tumult and churn of Out in the Storm must now feel worth it: this stunningly pretty ode to recovery is Crutchfield’s finest work, and possibly her masterpiece.

87
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.

85
Under the Radar
No hiding behind layers of fuzz or buzzy guitars, Crutchfield puts herself out on full display with great aplomb and loads of insight.
80
The Young Folks

It’s her most consistently engaging album, with a rustic charm delivered by her sharp songwriting and choice of backup band, which consists of a strong cohort of experienced country-rockers.

80
Dork

‘Saint Cloud’ feels like the validation of a decade of supremely beautiful songwriting and is the work of someone newly at peace with themselves and assured in the quality of their beautifully exquisite songs.

80
Upset

Distinctly quieter than her previous work, the Americana-tinged reflections act as a huge step-change for Waxahatchee and the record is all the stronger for it.

80
Evening Standard
Written after she decided to get sober, Katie Crutchfield’s fifth album under the Waxahatchee band name is exposing and unflinching in its introspection — but the most special moments come when a sense of calm breaks through.
80
The Sydney Morning Herald

Especially in these trying times, records like this one are crucial to remind us of the universality of the human experience: pain, love, loss, forgiveness, endings and – most importantly – beginnings.

80
musicOMH

It’s the sound of a woman at peace with herself, and Crutchfield’s newfound serenity makes for a wonderful listen.

80
The Arts Desk

Saint Cloud documents a journey towards self-acceptance; one woman’s reckoning with her past and its impact on the people she loves.

80
Q Magazine

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

80
Crack Magazine

While her output as Waxahatchee has always been brave, this album possesses a new kind of strength.

80
Mojo

With Saint Cloud, Katie Crutchfield (as Waxahatchee), has twisted a thick braid of an album, each song a bundle of strands interweaving with the next.

80
Uncut

Even as Crutchfield pushes her voice in her most beguiling melodic hooks yet, her words explore ongoing restlessness. The sense of warmth and uplift is all in the music, rich with bright chords and hooks, pulling her forward even as she sings of feeling pulled back.

80
Slant Magazine

Adopting a free and easy Americana style marked by both twangy guitars and dreamy keys, the songs here are at once deeply intimate and broadly accessible, like selections from an alternative universe where modern mainstream country radio isn’t all pandering, homogenized slop.

80
Rolling Stone

On her latest album Saint Cloud, the 31-year-old songwriter trades in the indie-rock neurosis of her previous work for a mellower, twangy sound that nods towards her roots in Birmingham, Alabama. But her piercing observations have only grown sharper with time.

80
The Skinny

An elemental voice for our weary souls, Saint Cloud marks a moment of reckoning for Katie Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee.

80
NME
It’s a pleasure to hear one of America’s finest modern songwriters working in her brand new element.
80
AllMusic
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.
70
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.
70
No Ripcord
The further you get, the sharper the writing becomes and the more introspective and unique the album feels.
60
The Observer

This album has a bloodied, ambitious heart on its sleeve. It wants the world to hear it beating.

60
The Irish Times

Waxahatchee’s writing rewards close examination. 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.

54
Still Listening
Crutchfield’s voice has a southern lilt, only amplifying the country feel of the music. Her tone is clear, her range is impressive, and she emphasises each word nicely, highlighting her poetic lyrics.
40
The Needle Drop

Saint Cloud is an underwhelming take on indie country.

matteo
85

A healing record for hard times. Every masterfully chosen word, hell, every lilting, breaking, drawling syllable that escapes from Katie's lips is pure poetry. When the pandemic is over and you get to hug your friends again, it's going to feel like listening to this record.

Doublez
77

While it seems that she knew how to chase away the demons around her, Saint Cloud resembles her victory lap, both musically and personally. Waxahatchee's discography was already well worth the detour if you're a fervent fan of 90s music sprinkled with a layer and aesthetic of traditional American music, but in addition to having offered an effort of a much higher level Saint Cloud is her most poignant album, without the slightest hesitation.

If Saint Cloud is synonymous with renewal for Katie ... read more

MasterCrackfox
61

I've become more and more interested in Americana, folk, and especially the female singer-songwriter over the last few years. The vast majority of times an album that incorporates many if not all of these elements is sure to be a pleasing affair from my perspective and a solid win.

This album by Katie Crutchfield, otherwise known as Waxahatchee, does well in the pleasantness factor but doesn't quite achieve the win from my perspective.

One issue that I find with the album is a relative lack ... read more

zeelee233
74

Although Katie Crutchfield's bright but dark indie-country easily evoked a fervent indie-criticism camp, I still favoured the outwardly rainy predecessor - but who am I kidding, all thunder clears up one day, and she earned the right to introspection with her fury. At first, hypnotised by the droning drums, her guitars seemed too subtle, and her meandering melodies never made me fall in love at first sight. But soon enough, her lyric-biting deliberate vocals sewed everything of light-coloured ... read more

sleepyhead
73

top 3 - Ruby Falls, Witches, Oxbow

WilderRecords
90

𝗪𝗮𝘅𝗮𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗲 - 𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬)
𝘍𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 - 𝘊𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘋𝘰 𝘔𝘶𝘤𝘩

I’d say Saint Cloud is one of Waxahatchee’s definitive moments of her career so far. Katie Crutchfield is no stranger to some downright fantastic songwriting that makes any song she creates an instant classic, but there’s something special here on Saint Cloud ... read more

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Track List

1Oxbow
2:53
84
2Can't Do Much
3:44
85
3Fire
3:37
88
4Lilacs
3:15
85
5The Eye
4:18
79
6Hell
2:59
80
7Witches
2:48
78
8War
3:10
79
9Arkadelphia
4:50
79
10Ruby Falls
3:51
80
11St. Cloud
4:41
83
Total Length: 40 minutes
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Added on: January 22, 2020