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Last week, Waxahatchee released the new album Tigers Blood. It fucking rules. Katie Crutchfield has been making twangy, countrified indie rock for a very long time, and lots of newer bands have been following her example lately. One ally to the cause in MJ Lenderman, of Wednesday and also his own damn self. Recording Tigers Blood, Crutchfield brought Lenderman in to play and sing on lead single “Right Back To It,” and he stuck around to play on the whole record. Waxahatchee’s tour kicked off Friday night in Chicago, and Lenderman isn’t part of it. But when Waxahatchee performed on Colbert last night, Lenderman was right up there with the band.
As someone who’s seen Katie Crutchfield play warehouses, it’s wild to see her leveling up and treating a late-night TV engagement like no big deal. But Crutchfield got there, and she belongs there. Hearing her singing on TV, it’s clear that she could’ve always been doing that. On Colbert, Crutchfield sang “Right Back To It,” and her voice sounded positively magnificent.
MJ Lenderman was up there in a strictly supporting-player capacity. “Right Back To It” isn’t really a duet, and Lenderman’s vocals are just there to back Katie Crutchfield up. He didn’t take a blazing solo or anything, either. The rest of the band, including banjo and pedal steel players, were also there to help Crutchfield sound great. She didn’t really need the help, but it was nice, anyway. This was a great performance of a great song, and you can watch it below.
Tigers Blood is out now on ANTI-.