Song of the Day: Waxahatchee - Silver

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is "Silver" by Waxahatchee, from their forthcoming 2017 album, Out in the Storm, out July 14 on Merge Records.

Waxahatchee - Silver (MP3)Katie Crutchfield must be exhausted. Since 2012's American Weekend LP, the debut record from Crutchfield's Waxahatchee moniker, the musician has toured regularly and recorded three additional Waxahatchee records, most recently the forthcoming Out in the Storm (to be released on July 14). Along with her twin sister, Allison, the Crutchfields have released some of the most emotionally honest, uncannily catchy pop music over the past handful of years. "Silver," the debut single off Out in the Storm, and today's featured song, builds upon the Waxahatchee mold of songwriting, mixing Katie's evocative, articulate lyrics, with a guitar muscle visible on 2015's Ivy Tripp.

In an interview with Lenny debuting the single, Katie Crutchfield said that Out in the Storm was recorded in the midst and aftermath of a break-up, though the record can not be considered a traditional break-up record. Crutchfield's lyrics on "Silver" hint at this emotional backdrop ("I went out in the storm// I felt the house burning// the kiss on my lips starts to feel unfamiliar") though her focus on the track seems more rooted in issues of self-discovery, as she sings "a part of me rots// my skin all turns silver." Crutchfield may be newly transformed, but "Silver" retains the clarity and spirit which has characterized her best work.

Katie Crutchfield was recently in town opening for The New Pornographers and is currently still on tour with them. If there are any forthcoming Waxahatchee dates for Seattle, you'll be sure to find them on their Website and Facebook page. In the meantime, here's the top notch video for "Silver":