Saint Cloud

It is not often that we add a recent release to our Essential range - it is meant for albums that have stood the test of time - but Saint Cloud is one of those very few albums that is an instant classic, one that just gets better and better with every listen and one that will just keep on selling and selling. Written immediately in the period following her decision to get sober, the album is an unflinching self-examination. This raw, exposed narrative terrain is aided by a shift in sonic arrangements as well. While her last two records featured the kind of big guitars, well-honed noise, and battering sounds that characterized her Philadelphia scene and strongly influenced a burgeoning new class of singer-songwriters, Waxahatchee strips back those layers to create space for Katie Crutchfield’s voice and lyrics. The result is a classic Americana sound with modern touches befitting an artist who has emerged as one of the signature storytellers