A little over a week ago, I came across an Elliott Smith tribute album with songs from various indie artists. As a fan of that kind of music, I was instantly intrigued. Among these great covers was a take on "Angeles" by an artist I had never heard of: Waxahatchee. I thought it was a solid cover, but being the person I am, I decided to learn a little bit about who exactly Waxahatchee is. Looking back on it just days later, I'm extremely happy I did.

Waxahatchee is is an indie "solo project" created by Katie Crutchfield while she was in her early 20s. Katie and her twin sister Allison grew up playing in bands together while they lived in Alabama. Eventually, they decided to part ways musically and Katie became a solo artist. She called her project "Waxahatchee" because she would often spend time near a creek with the same name. Her first album as Waxahatchee is called American Weekend, and was the first album of her's I decided to listen to.

As soon as the first chords played over my speaker, my attention was caught. Rather than a big studio sound most artists strive for on their records, I heard a raw, almost home-recording like sound. Being a lo-fi artist, there are very few sounds I like more than a raw recording of acoustic guitar. As the opening track, "Catfish," played on, I was struck by Katie's extremely pleasant voice as she sung an interesting melody with introspective lyrics. This trend of raw music and great lyrics continued until the very end of the album. My first instinct was to play the whole thing over again, as I had not heard anything so unique in such a long time.

Fast forward to now. Since listening for the first time, I've explored some of the other Waxahatchee tunes and live performances, but there's just something about American Weekend that makes me come back to it every single day. I don't know for sure what it is, but it must have something to do with the intimate arrangements, the raw music, and the vocal melodies. The lyrical content is extremely sad and vulnerable, but that's something I enjoy. Music is great for communicating emotions, and if that emotion is sadness, then so it shall be. Katie does a wonderful job at conveying the internal struggles that most people in their early 20s go through.

This album has even managed to get me out of my six month long writers block, the lyrics that Katie wrote for American Weekend has reopened my thought process for songwriting, and how to communicate the messages I want through music. She has inspired me to explore the more sensitive side of me and not be afraid to let it show in my lyrics. To cap it all off, I'll be adding a cover of the song "Grass Stain" to my live repertoire.

If you have never listened to Waxahatchee, I strongly encourage that you do, and see what you will get out of what you hear. Katie's brilliant music deserves all the attention it can get.