WAXAHATCHEE
Ivy Tripp
Ivy Tripp is US songwriter Katie Crutchfield’s third LP under the Waxahatchee moniker. But even though Crutchfield runs the show, Ivy Tripp regularly slips into full band mode. On a lyrical level, Crutchfield doesn’t strive for a polythematic quality; she’s here to sing about love, heartbreak and longing. This focus allows Crutchfield to zero in on the nuances of attraction and assume a range of contrasting viewpoints.
While Crutchfield’s not an exceptionally crafty guitarist or far-reaching melodist, Ivy Tripp successfully carries out a variety of stylistic excursions. There’s turbocharged Alanis Morissette power-pop (Under A Rock), Postal Service-like square-eyed emo (La Loose and Stale By Noon), fuzzy beach-pop (The Dirt) and stark Cat Power-esque minimalism (Blue). Although the emphasis on stylistic fluidity leads to some less effective maneuvers (the lolling Air awkwardly recalls Blink-182’s ‘mature’ phase), it’s not a fragmented listen. Crucially, unity stems from Crutchfield’s no-polish vocal whine and her suffusing lyrical sentiment.
Ivy Tripp’s narrator is hyper-romantic and prone to dazed infatuation. She also understands that one’s love life will never reach a state of enduring bliss, but this realisation won’t stifle love’s dazzling highs or crushing lows.
3.5 stars
AUGUSTUS WELBY
