Cerulean Salt (CERULEAN BLUE VINYL) (Vinyl)

Cerulean Blue vinyl limited to 700 units! On her second full-length record as Waxahatchee, former P.S. Eliot singer Katie Crutchfields compelling hyper-personal poetry is continuously crushing. Cerulean Salt follows American Weekend -- a collection of minimal acoustic-guitar pop written and recorded in a week at her familys Birmingham home. On this new record, Crutchfields songs continue to be marked by her sharp, hooky songwriting; her striking voice and lyrics that simultaneously seem hyper-personal yet relentlessly relatable, teetering between endearingly nostalgic and depressingly dark. But whereas before the thematic focus of her songcraft was on break ups and passive-aggressive crushing, this record reflects on her family and Alabama upbringing. Whereas American Weekend was mostly just Crutchfield and her guitar, Cerulean Salt is occasionally amped up, with a full band and higher-fi production.

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.

A1. Hollow Bedroom A2. Dixie Cups And Jars A3. Lips And Limbs A4. Blue Part II A5. Brother Bryan A6. Coast To Coast A7. Tangled Envisioning B1. Misery Over Dispute B2. Lively B3. Waiting B4. Swan Dive B5. Peace And Quiet B6. You're Damaged

• Released: 7/7/23
• Handling Note: **Please allow an additional 72 hours for this item's shipment.**
• Format Detail: LP Cerulean Blue Vinyl
• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Indie & Alternative