WAXAHATCHEE - CERULEAN SALT VINYL (LTD. 10TH ANN. ED. CERULEAN BLUE)

LIMITED 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION CERULEAN BLUE VINYL

Release Date: 14th July 2023

Limited edition pressing of only 700!

"Cerulean Salt follows American Weekend -- a collection of minimal acoustic-
guitar pop written and recorded in a week at her family's Birmingham home. On
this new record, Crutchfield's songs continue to be marked by her sharp, hooky
songwriting; her striking voice and lyrics that simultaneously seem hyper-
personal yet relentlessly relatable, teetering between endearingly nostalgic and
depressingly dark. But whereas before the thematic focus of her songcraft was
on break ups and passive-aggressive crushing, this record reflects on her family
and Alabama upbringing. Whereas American Weekend was mostly just
Crutchfield and her guitar, Cerulean Salt is occasionally amped up, with a full
band and higher-fi production. At times, Cerulean Salt creeps closer to the sound
of PS Eliot: moody, 90s- inspired rock backed by Keith Spencer and Swearin'
guitarist Kyle Gilbride on drums and bass. The full band means fleshed-out fuzzy
lead guitars on "Coast to Coast", its poppy hook almost masking its dark lyrics.
Big distorted guitars and deep steady drums mark songs like "Misery over
Dispute" and "Waiting". There's plenty of American Weekend's introspection and
minimalism to be found, though. "Blue Pt. II" is stripped down, Crutchfield and her
sister Alison singing in harmony with deadpan vox. She's still an open booking,
musing on self-doubt versus self-reliance, transience versus permanence. "Peace
and Quiet" ebbs and flows from moody, minimal verses to a sing- song chorus.
"Swan Dive" tackles nostalgia, transience, indifference, regret -- over the a minimal
strum of an electric-guitar, the picking at a chirpy riff and the double-time tapping
of a muted drum. The album closes with a haunting acoustic-guitar reflection on
"You're Damaged," possibly the best Waxahatchee song to date."