Tigers Blood in Bloomington, MN

Tigers Blood
finds
Waxahatchee
abandoning the remaining indie accents that gave
Saint Cloud
, her 2020 album, such an exquisite out-of-phase quality. No longer lingering upon the delicate qualities of her music,
Katie Crutchfield
favors an immediacy that's not necessarily visceral. Much of
proceeds at an unhurried pace -- indeed, its opening track, "3 Sisters," appears to creep over the horizon, slowly coalescing around
Crutchfield
's clarion voice -- but velocity isn't the only way music can feel direct. There's something bracing about the warmth she creates on
, particularly in how it emanates as much from the performances as it does the songs. Setting up shop at the hip West Texas studio Sonic Ranch,
and producer
Brad Cook
recruited a number of prominent indie musicians, anchoring the collective with drummer
Spencer Tweedy
and finding space for
MJ Lenderman
and
Megafaun
's
Phil Cook
. The result is a
record that feels like the work of a band; it's possible to hear the group breathe and exhale alongside
, accentuating the heart and humor in the work. Part of the reason
feels so warm and open is how
Lenderman
lends harmonies in addition to lead guitar, coming to the forefront to duet on "Right Back to It." His tangible presence helps illustrate how
now seems to subscribe to the same ideals as Americana, but
's writing is too elliptical and eccentric to suffer from pretensions of authenticity. Instead,
is the rarest of things: an album that feels familiar upon its surface and idiosyncratic in its details. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine