{"product_id":"saint-cloud","title":"Saint Cloud","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt 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 \u003cem\u003eSaint Cloud\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWritten 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 \u003cstrong\u003eKatie Crutchfield\u003c\/strong\u003e’s voice and lyrics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is a classic Americana sound with modern touches befitting an artist who has emerged as one of the signature storytellers of her time. Many of the narratives on \u003cem\u003eSaint Cloud\u003c\/em\u003e concern addiction and the havoc it wreaks on ourselves and our loved ones, as Crutchfield comes to a deeper understanding of love not only for those around her but for herself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis coalesces most clearly on \"\u003cem\u003eFire\u003c\/em\u003e,\" which she says was literally written in transit, during a drive over the Mississippi River into West Memphis, and serves as a love song to herself, a paean to moving past shame into a place of unconditional self-acceptance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the course of \u003cem\u003eSaint Cloud\u003c\/em\u003e, which was recorded the summer of 2019 and produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver), Crutchfield peels back the distortion of electric guitars to create a wider sonic palette than on any previous Waxahatchee album. It is a record filled with nods to classic country, folk-inspired tones, and distinctly modern touches.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTo bolster her vision, Crutchfield enlisted Bobby Colombo and Bill Lennox, both of the Detroit band Bonny Doon, to serve as backing band on the record, along with Josh Kaufman (Hiss Golden Messenger, Bon Iver) on guitar and keyboards and Nick Kinsey (Kevin Morby) on drums and percussion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSaint Cloud\u003c\/em\u003e marks the beginning of a journey for Crutchfield, one that sees her leaving behind past vices and the comfortable environs of her Philadelphia scene to head south in search of something new. If on her previous work Crutchfield was out in the storm, she’s now firmly in the eye of it, taking stock of her past with a clear perspective and gathering the strength to carry onward.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Merge Records","offers":[{"title":"Blue | LP","offer_id":50498643198283,"sku":"1085196","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50498642968907,"sku":"1085195","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50498644345163,"sku":"1085193","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/06f59396-c2a2-42ce-bb5e-300a847136de_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727751999","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/products\/saint-cloud","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}