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After the storm, Waxahatchee debuts Out Of The Storm at Union Transfer

Waxahatchee | photo by Cameron Pollack for WXPN

On Friday night, after an immense storm descended upon Philadelphia, a tour for the ages opened up on Spring Garden street.

Waxahatchee sent their fourth album, Out In The Storm, out into the world, and, both live and on the record, itʼs very simply Katie Crutchfield at her best. Earlier in the day, she played a short set at XPN’s Free at Noon concert, and both performances were raw, and emotive, pulling us deep into her own experiences and machinations, ones that many of us can relate amply to.

Songs like “Recite Remorse,” the live setʼs opener, and “Sparks Fly,” a deeper cut on the record, beg to be sang angrily in the car with the windows down, and before too long, theyʼll be sung back at Crutchfield at live shows too. Continue reading →

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Free at Noon Flashback: Waxahatchee brings Out in the Storm to life

Waxahatchee at WXPN’s Free At Noon Concert on 7/14/17 | photo by Emma Silverstone for WXPN

The relentless summer rain was no deterrent for the crowd that turned up en masse at World Cafe this afternoon, and for good reason: today is all about Katie Crutchfield’s Waxahatchee. Her excellent fourth record Out in the Storm dropped today on Merge Records, the full band performed for WXPN’s Free At Noon, frontwoman Katie Crutchfield will be a guest DJ on John Vettese’s show What’s the Frequency at 7 p.m., and the day caps off when Waxahatchee plays a hometown show at Union Transfer with Cayetana and Snail Mail to begin an extensive US tour.

Fifteen minutes before Free At Noon began, the front row of the World Cafe stage was already claimed and the rest of the crowd was slowly trickling in, shaking off umbrellas and grabbing a drink. Five minutes before, the floor was packed and the anticipation palpable when Waxahatchee made their entrance (featuring #ladysuits) to begin a set that showcased entirely new tracks.

Opening with my personal favorite from the new album, the burning “Recite Remorse,” Crutchfield’s voice echoed around World Cafe to create an ethereal, chills-inducing sound that built to an anthemic conclusion. The catharsis found in the lyrics was tangible, finding release and relief for singer and audience alike. Continue reading →

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Need to Feel Your Soft Sounds in the Storm: New Sheer Mag, Japanese Breakfast and Waxahatchee on the Indie Rock Hit Parade!

Sheer Mag
Sheer Mag | photo by Marie Lin | courtesy of the artist

A jam-packed Indie Rock Hit Parade is coming your way tonight, and there’s no way to stop it! Listen at 11pm ET on XPN (that’s right after What’s The Frequency??? with John Vettese, ya know?) for a full two-hour show that features not one, not two, but THREE spotlights on new releases from three very different bands out of Philly. We’ll hear from Sheer Mag‘s incendiary debut, Need To Feel Your Love, the dreamy sophomore album from Japanese Breakfast, Soft Sounds From Another Planet, and (of course) the latest from Katie Crutchfield’s Waxahatchee, Out In The Storm. Also in the mix, you’ll hear new tracks from Speedy Ortiz, Cults and Parquet Courts singer A. Savage! Preview some of those below…

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Tonight’s Concert Picks: Waxahatchee at Union Transfer, The Ultimate Supa Sistas at the African American Museum, The Spinto Band at Boot and Saddle

Waxahatchee | photo courtesy of the artist
Waxahatchee | photo courtesy of the artist

Alongside a host of other excellent Philly-rooted records out today — Japanese Breakfast, Sheer Mag — sits Waxahatchee‘s Out In The Storm. It’s a masterful work, cathartic and emotionally-driven but also soaring and uplifting. It’s a perfect album for long drives on the highways in the summer, it’s a perfect album for solitary contemplations on hazy late nights. And it’s perfect to boom forth from the Union Transfer PA system, so don’t miss your opportunity to take that in. Waxahatchee headlines UT tonight with Cayetana and Snail Mail, and tickets are still available. More information can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar; listen to my fave track from Out In the Storm, “Sparks Fly,” below.
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Stream Waxahatchee’s new album Out in the Storm via NPR Music’s First Listen

Waxahatchee Tour | courtesy of Merge Records
Waxahatchee Tour | courtesy of Merge Records

If you’re like me and you like to know every song on a concert setlist before a show (it makes jamming along easier, okay?), Friday just got a little better. Ahead of the June 14th release date of Waxahatchee‘s highly anticipated fourth album on Merge Records, Out in the Storm is available to stream in full right now on NPR Music’s First Listen series. Continue reading →

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Listen to Waxahatchee’s cathartic album opener “Never Been Wrong”

Waxahatchee Tour | courtesy of Merge Records
Waxahatchee Tour | courtesy of Merge Records

It’s time to take a break from whatever you may be doing on this grey Tuesday (shout out to Spring on the East Coast) because Waxahatchee has a new single. “Never Been Wrong” joins the singles “Silver” and “No Curse” to kick off the countdown to Katie Crutchfield’s fourth album as Waxahatchee, titled Out in the Storm and set for a July 14th release on Merge. The album is a deep dive into the ending and the aftermath of a relationship that Crutchfield decisively reclaims for her own catharsis.

“Never Been Wrong” is sharp and smart without being bitter, personal and painful yet relatable. Crutchfield was somehow able to take these elements and turn them into an absolutely rocking jam that you can equally as well dance to on repeat with the volume turned all the way up or add to your own variation of a introspective playlist. Continue reading →

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New Music Show Preview w/ Radiohead, Waxahatchee & more!

Radiohead-photo-Alex-Lake
Radiohead-photo-Alex-Lake

Our New Music Show returns after the Memorial Day holiday, and we’ve got some catching up to do.  Of course, Dan Auerbach just released Waiting on A Song so we’ll dip into that album.  Plus, we represent Philly with new music from The Districts, Waxahatchee (read below), and a super cool collaboration between trumpeter Matt Cappy and rapper Chill Moody.  Also, another song from Offa Rex (The Decemberists and Olivia Chaney) with Colin Meloy on lead.  And we’ll give you a preview of another tune from Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit’s new album.  Whew! We’ll hear all that and a lot more tonight starting at 8pm!

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Waxahatchee and Cayetana are playing Union Transfer, touring together this summer

Waxahatchee | photo courtesy of the artist
Waxahatchee | photo courtesy of the artist

Out in the Storm, Katie Crutchfield’s fourth album under the Waxahatchee banner, is due out July 14th on Merge Records, and the band just announced a hometown Union Transfer show on record release day. Better news: Cayetana shares the bill, along with Snail Mail. Better still: Cayetana and Snail Mail will join Waxahatchee on tour through early august, hitting the midwest, Canada, Pacific Northwest and Southwest. From there, the tour branches off, with Palehound and Outer Spaces teaming up with Crutchfield & co.

Check out the full dates in the flyer below, and get details and more information on the Union Transfer gig at the XPN Concert Calendar. Watch Waxahatchee’s recent appearance on Shaking Through here. Continue reading →

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Watch Waxahatchee’s new song “No Curse” take shape in their new Shaking Through documentary

Waxahatchee recording their Shaking Through session | photo courtesy of Weathervane Music
Waxahatchee recording their Shaking Through session | photo courtesy of Weathervane Music

As much as I am completely, avidly, and wholeheartedly obsessed with music, I cannot for the life of me fathom how artists can create songs. I am constantly in awe (and also thoroughly envious) of musicians ability to have art in their heads and then go and make it a real, living thing.

Weathervane Music’s Shaking Through video series allows musical plebeians such as I, to experience this amazing process of recording. Their brand new video showcases Katie Crutchfield’s Waxahatchee creating their new anthemic jam of a song, “No Curse.” Being as that the session was the first time the band played the song together, you’re able to see the song build and take shape before your very eyes. Continue reading →

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Tonight’s Concert Picks: Waxahatchee at Union Transfer, Bridge Underwater at Ortlieb’s

Waxahatchee | photo courtesy of the artist
Waxahatchee | photo courtesy of the artist

Yes, The New Pornographers are great and all, but make sure you arrive to Union Transfer early tonight, indie rock old heads. Waxahatchee has a new record due out this summer on Merge called Out in the Storm, and based on the lead single “Silver,” it’s going to be rousing, powerful and emotive. Get there early for the rising star, sty late to sing out “The Bleeding Heart Show.” Tickets and more information can be found here. Continue reading →