Saint Cloud is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Waxahatchee, released on March 27, 2020, by Merge Records.[1] Released at the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic, Saint Cloud received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised its depth and mellow sound. Initially unable to tour behind the album, Waxahatchee embarked on a supporting tour in 2021.[2]
Background
Crutchfield spoke about developing "Fire" after viewing the sunset over the Mississippi while traveling.[3][4]
After many years of touring and releasing albums, Waxahatchee frontwoman Katie Crutchfield came to a point to where she needed a break. She had begun to struggle with alcoholism, which became apparent during the promotional tour for her previous album, Out in the Storm (2017).[5][6] She made the decision to choose sobriety after hitting a particularly low point at Primavera Sound in Barcelona.[7][8] In between albums, she released a stopgap EP, Great Thunder, hinting at a burgeoning folk sound.[9]
Saint Cloud was recorded with producer Brad Cook across two studios, Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas and Long Pond in Stuyvesant, New York over the summer of 2019.[10] Crutchfield utilized members of the Michigan band Bonny Doon as her backing band.[11] Crutchfield intentionally took her time developing the album, and found it hard to write initially. When the inspiration came, much of its content was developed at a quick pace.[12] Its lyricism was heavily inspired by the work of Lucinda Williams,[10] and mainly tackles themes of "addiction and codependency".[5] Crutchfield titled the album and its titular song after her father's hometown of St. Cloud, Florida, a small community outside of Orlando.[5]
She wrote the bulk of the songs at her home in Kansas City, where she lived with her partner Kevin Morby.[13] She noted that Morby would give her positive feedback when she shared the material.[4]
Saint Cloud was released at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., which had an impact on listeners and their interpretation of the album.[12][7] Chris Riemenschneider, for Minneapolis' Star Tribune, called it "a perfect listening companion through a year and a half of lockdown, as comforting as it was exhilarating."[26]
Saint Cloud was received rapturously by music critics, who praised the album's sincerity and tone.[10]Robert Christgau reviewed the album in his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column in July 2020. While suggesting that the "recovery songs" toward the album's end recount life experiences not relatable for the average listener, he applauded Crutchfield's performance through the opening series of "love/relationship/self-knowledge songs", with "her guitar parts echoing readymades so approximately and unaffectedly they sound fresh all over again, her soft voice so casual and personable and smart".[17]
