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Tigers Blood
A photo of the artist stood next to a pole holding a sign out of view above her in a grassy field.
Studio album by
Waxahatchee
ReleasedMarch 22, 2024 (2024-03-22)
Recorded2022–2023
StudioSonic Ranch, Texas
Genre
Length42:46
LabelAnti-
ProducerBrad Cook
Waxahatchee chronology
I Walked with You a Ways
(2022) 		Tigers Blood
(2024)
Singles from Tigers Blood
  1. "Right Back to It"
    Released: January 9, 2024
  2. "Bored"
    Released: February 13, 2024
  3. "365"
    Released: March 12, 2024

Tigers Blood is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Waxahatchee. It was released on March 22, 2024, through Anti-. It was preceded by the release of three singles, "Right Back to It", "Bored", and "365". The album received acclaim from critics, and garnered Waxahatchee a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, her first nomination at the awards. [1]

Background

[edit]

Following the release of Saint Cloud (2020), which posed "an obvious pivot" in sound to the singer, Crutchfield and her producer Brad Cook were unsure as to how to follow-up the record as due to a vast positive reception. The singer started writing material for the album during a "hot hand spell" while on tour towards the end of 2022.[2] The track "365" with prominent "pop sound, pop production" was created during early recording sessions at Sonic Ranch, Texas. Guitarist MJ Lenderman was later invited by the duo and would eventually be featured on all of the songs playing electric guitar. A harmonization with him on "Right Back to It" "was the big pivotal moment" for her and Cook that they wanted to capture on the whole album.[3] Other collaborators include Spencer Tweedy and Phil Cook.[4]

Crutchfield revealed that Tigers Blood came together "much more easily" in comparison to Saint Cloud as she felt at peace with herself. After an interview with the singer, Andy Cush of Pitchfork opined that Crutchfield has "gotten better" at songwriting even though the record has more in common with her earlier work. Tigers Blood features tales of "late-night fights with loved ones, friendships frayed beyond repair, and elegies for an idyllic past" that may have never existed.[3] Waxahatchee embarked a North America tour to promote the record from April to August 2024.[5]

Singles

[edit]

The album announcement on January 9, 2024, also saw the release of the lead single "Right Back to It". With the track, Crutchfield expressed her desire to write love songs that are "gritty and unromantic" and to always find your way back "to a newness or an intimacy" with the same person.[6] The second single "Bored", released on February 13, is a "high-spirited" track with "country flair". Crutchfield wrote the song from an authentic but challenging place of anger.[7]

Radio play

[edit]

Tigers Blood spent five weeks atop the NACC chart, as well as time at number one on the NACC Non-comm chart and four weeks atop NACC Canadian.[8]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.5/10[9]
Metacritic89/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
DIY[12]
NME[13]
The Observer[14]
Paste9.3/10[15]
Pitchfork8.8/10[16]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[17]
The Skinny[18]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Tigers Blood received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 from 26 critic scores.[10] Editors at review aggregator AnyDecentMusic? scored this album an 8.5 out of 10, based on 21 critics' scores.[9]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "There's something bracing about the warmth Crutchfield creates on Tigers Blood, particularly in how it emanates as much from the performances as it does the songs," and called it, "the rarest of things: an album that feels familiar upon its surface and idiosyncratic in its details."[11]

Pitchfork awarded Tigers Blood a "Best New Album" designation, writing that Crutchfield's "dazzling, piercing songwriting is perfectly in tune with the band behind her."[16]

For The Observer, writer and editor Damien Morris noted its "precision and broad relatability", with her vocals "poised and precise – her best yet, caressing flamboyantly poetic lyrics."[14]

Writing for The Line of Best Fit, John Amen concluded, "While Saint Cloud arguably represents the apex of Crutchfield's hook-savviness, Tigers Blood features flawlessly sculpted melodies as well as vocals that are more notably complex and lyrics that more thoroughly plumb the human condition. With Tigers Blood, Crutchfield continues to perfect her songcraft and elevate the Americana genre – asserting a panoramic vision, radiating wisdom.[19]

Year-end lists

[edit]
Select year-end rankings for Tigers Blood
Publication/critic Accolade Rank Ref.
MOJO 75 Best Albums of 2024 30 [20]
Rough Trade UK Albums of the Year 2024 25 [21]
Uncut 80 Best Albums of 2024 10 [22]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Katie Crutchfield.

Tigers Blood track listing
No.TitleLength
1."3 Sisters"4:10
2."Evil Spawn"3:12
3."Ice Cold"3:30
4."Right Back to It" (featuring MJ Lenderman)4:33
5."Burns Out at Midnight"3:04
6."Bored"2:55
7."Lone Star Lake"3:16
8."Crimes of the Heart"3:04
9."Crowbar"4:01
10."365"3:07
11."The Wolves"3:58
12."Tigers Blood"3:56
Total length:42:46

Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

  • Katie Crutchfield – vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar (tracks 1–9, 12), harmony vocals (2)
  • Brad Cook – bass (tracks 1–9, 11, 12), synthesizer (1), acoustic baritone guitar (10), background vocals (12)
  • Phil Cook – piano (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 11), organ (1, 2, 6–10), Dobro guitar (1, 5, 11), banjo (3, 4, 7, 8, 12), harmonica (5), marimba (7), accordion (9); background vocals, slide guitar (12)
  • Spencer Tweedy – drums, percussion (tracks 1–9, 11, 12); Mellotron (1), harmony vocals (5), cymbals (10), background vocals (12)
  • MJ Lenderman – electric guitar (tracks 1–12), harmony vocals (2, 4, 5, 12), acoustic baritone guitar (5), acoustic guitar (10), background vocals (12)
  • Nick Bockrath – pedal steel guitar (track 6)
  • Natalia Chernitsky – background vocals (track 12)

Technical

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Tigers Blood
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)[23] 14
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 101
French Physical Albums (SNEP)[25] 172
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[26] 35
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 7
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 7
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 38
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[30] 4
US Billboard 200[31] 146
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[32] 27

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Monroe, Jazz (November 8, 2024). "Grammy Nominations 2025: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  2. ^ Gregory, Allie (January 9, 2024). "Waxahatchee Details New Album Tigers Blood, Maps Out North American Tour". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Cush, Andy (March 12, 2024). "How Waxahatchee Made the Album of Her (Second) Life". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Renshaw, David (January 9, 2024). "Waxahatchee announces new album Tigers Blood". The Fader. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Martoccio, Angie (January 9, 2024). "Waxahatchee Drops Damn Good Duet With MJ Lenderman, Finally Announces New Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Duran, Anagricel (January 9, 2024). "Waxahatchee announces new album Tigers Blood and shares single "Right Back to It"". NME. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Hatfield, Amanda (February 13, 2024). "Waxahatchee shares "Bored" from new LP Tigers Blood". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "Waxahatchee breaks tie for most weeks spent at #1 in 2024," NACC. Accessed May 16, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee | Album". AllMusic. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  12. ^ Smurthwaite, James (March 22, 2024). "Waxahatchee – 'Tigers Blood'". DIY. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  13. ^ Hughes, Mia (March 21, 2024). "Waxahatchee – 'Tigers Blood' review: Americana stalwart at the top of her game". NME. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Morris, Damien (March 24, 2024). "Waxahatchee: Tigers Blood review – sprightly Americana with added poise". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  15. ^ Williams, Tom. "Tigers Blood is Waxahatchee's Latest Triumph of Radical, Clear-Eyed Honesty". Paste. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Greene, Jayson. "Waxahatchee: Tigers Blood". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Amen, John. "Waxahatchee: Tigers Blood". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  18. ^ Goggins, Joe. "Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood". The Skinny. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  19. ^ "Waxahatchee: Tigers Blood Review - flawlessly sculpted | Indie". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  20. ^ "MOJO's 75 Best Albums of 2024". albumoftheyear.org. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  21. ^ "Albums of the Year 2024". roughtrade.com. November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  22. ^ Pearis, Bill (November 8, 2024). "List Season comes early with Uncut's Top 80 Albums of 2024". brooklynvegan.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  23. ^ "Aria Top 40 Country Albums Chart". ARIA. April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  25. ^ "Top Albums - SNEP". SNEP. Archived from the original on June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  26. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 1, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  28. ^ "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 13". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  30. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  31. ^ "Waxahatchee Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  32. ^ "Waxahatchee Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
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