Cerulean Blue Colour Vinyl

Tracklist:

1. Hollow Bedroom
2. Dixie Cups and Jars
3. Lips and Limbs
4. Blue Pt. II
5. Brother Bryan
6. Coast to Coast
7. Tangled Envisioning
8. Misery Over Dispute
9. Lively
10. Waiting
11. Swan Dive
12. Peace and Quiet
13. You’re Damaged

Waxahatchee re-emerges as a full on indie rock star on Cerulean Salt, crafting songs with small flourishes and delicate melodies that work around a proper band structure. The same emotions of relationship grief resonate as did on the sparse American Weekend, but this record shows a maturer and more precise songwriter.

At times, Cerulean Salt creeps closer to the sound of PS Eliot: moody, 90s-inspired rock backed by Keith Spencer and Swearin guitarist Kyle Gilbride on drums and bass. The full band means fleshed-out fuzzy lead guitars on Coast to Coast, its poppy hook almost masking its dark lyrics. Big distorted guitars and deep steady drums mark songs like Misery over Dispute and Waiting.

Theres plenty of American Weekends introspection and minimalism to be found, though. Blue Pt. II is stripped down, Crutchfield and her sister Alison singing in harmony with deadpan vox. Shes still an open booking, musing on self-doubt versus self-reliance, transience versus permanence. Peace and Quiet ebbs and flows from moody, minimal verses to a sing-song chorus. Swan Dive tackles nostalgia, transience, indifference, regret over the a minimal strum of an electric-guitar, the picking at a chirpy riff and the double-time tapping of a muted drum. The album closes with a haunting acoustic-guitar reflection on Youre Damaged, possibly the best Waxahatchee song to date.