Waxahatchee's 2024 and 2020 AOTY contenders, Tigers Blood and Saint Cloud, respectively, cemented Katie Crutchfield firmly in her country era, but with the release of outtake "Much Ado About Nothing," and newly released single "Mud," it's clear her DIY American Weekend roots haven't entirely withered.
While both tracks share red slushy imagery with the aforementioned Tigers Blood, it's clear why neither made the cut; these tracks are thematically apart from the country-rock inspo-core rippers of their mother LP, with Crutchfield's bedroom-folk shining through the rhinestone sheen.
The songwriter is arguably at her best when she approaches her art from a fusion-minded standpoint, as evidenced by some of her discography-best tracks found on Out in the Storm, and "Mud" finds her inhabiting that very space. Alight and ill at ease, Crutchfield dissects and analyzes her subject, attempting to make sense of chaos and paradox, and pointing to hypocrisy with abandon. The rollicking melody is a confrontational contrast. Very intense!
MJ Lenderman and Spencer Tweedy are back to lend vocals and instrumentation to the track. Check it out below.