Saint Cloud (album)

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]

Saint Cloud
Studio album by Waxahatchee
Released	March 27, 2020 (2020-03-27)
Studio	Sonic Ranch (Tornillo, Texas) Long Pond (Stuyvesant, New York)
Genre	Indie rock, alt country, Americana
Length	40:06
Label	Merge
Producer	Brad Cook
Waxahatchee chronology
Out in the Storm (2017) Saint Cloud (2020) I Walked with You a Ways (2022)

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]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.4/10[14]
Metacritic	88/100[15]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[16]
And It Don't Stop	A−[17]
The Guardian	[18]
The Independent	[19]
NME	[20]
The Observer	[21]
Pitchfork	8.7/10[22]
Q	[23]
Rolling Stone	[24]
Uncut	8/10[25]

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]

Accolades

Accolades for Saint Cloud

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Beats Per Minute	Top 50 Albums of 2020	36	[27]
Consequence of Sound	Top 50 Albums of 2020	6	[28]
Double J	Top 50 Albums of 2020	6	[29]
Exclaim!	Top 50 Albums of 2020	18	[30]
Gigwise	Top 51 Albums of 2020	26	[31]
The Line of Best Fit	Top 50 Albums of 2020	12	[32]
NPR	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	47	[33]
Paste	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	2	[34]
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	2	[35]
PopMatters	The 60 Best Albums of 2020	9	[36]
Rolling Stone	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	7	[37]
The Skinny	Top 10 Albums of 2020	6	[38]
Slant Magazine	Top 50 Albums of 2020	12	[39]
Stereogum	Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year	2	[40]
Under the Radar	Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020	6	[41]
Uproxx	The Best Albums and Songs of 2020	7	[42]
The Wild Honey Pie	Top 30 Albums of 2020	2	[43]

Track listing

Saint Cloud track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Oxbow"	2:53
2.	"Can't Do Much"	3:44
3.	"Fire"	3:38
4.	"Lilacs"	3:15
5.	"The Eye"	4:18
6.	"Hell"	3:00
7.	"Witches"	2:48
8.	"War"	3:10
9.	"Arkadelphia"	4:50
10.	"Ruby Falls"	3:50
11.	"Saint Cloud"	4:40
Total length:		40:06

All tracks are written by Katie Crutchfield and produced by Brad Cook, except where noted

Saint Cloud +3 track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"Fruits of My Labor"	Lucinda Williams	Crutchfield Cook	5:05
13.	"Light of a Clear Blue Morning"	Dolly Parton	Crutchfield Cook	4:38
14.	"Streets of Philadelphia"	Bruce Springsteen	Crutchfield Cook	4:09
Total length:				53:58

Personnel

Musicians

• Katie Crutchfield – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards
• Brad Cook – bass, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer
• Bobby Colombo – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards
• Bill Lennox – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, percussion, vocals
• Nick Kinsey – drums, percussion
• Josh Kaufman – electric guitar, piano, organ, percussion

Technical personnel

• Brad Cook – production
• Jerry Ordonez – engineering
• Jon Low – additional engineering, mixing
• Brent Lambert – mastering

Artwork

• Molly Matalon – photos
• Andreina Byrne – set production
• Mike Krol – design

Charts

Sales chart performance for Saint Cloud

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[44]	24
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[45]	7
US Billboard 200[46]	140
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[47]	2
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[48]	17
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[49]	6
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[50]	19

References

1. Minsker, Evan (January 22, 2020). "Waxahatchee Announces New Album and Tour, Shares New Song "Fire": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
2. Martoccio, Angie (April 14, 2021). "Waxahatchee Maps 2021 'Saint Cloud' Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
3. Rettig, James (January 22, 2020). ""Fire"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
4. "Waxahatchee Talks 'Saint Cloud' & Approaching Music From A Healthier Place". GRAMMY.com. March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
5. Moreland, Quinn (March 27, 2020). "Waxahatchee Breaks Down Every Song on Her New Album, Saint Cloud". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
6. Martoccio, Angie (January 22, 2020). "Katie Crutchfield's New Morning". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
7. Tolentino, Jia (July 7, 2020). "The Unexpected Sunlight of Waxahatchee's "Saint Cloud"". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
8. Martoccio, Angie (January 22, 2020). "Katie Crutchfield's New Morning". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
9. "Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield revisits her Great Thunder project on new EP". WXPN. July 17, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
10. Martin, Mackenzie; Kraske, Steve (June 10, 2021). "Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield Eases Into Sobriety And Kansas City". KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
11. Bernstein, Jonathan (May 26, 2023). "The Radically Chill World of Bonny Doon". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
12. Lindquist, Dave; Orr, Susan (July 28, 2022). "Waxahatchee sees silver lining in pandemic timeline of 'Saint Cloud'". Indianapolis Business Journal. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
13. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (January 28, 2021). "Waxahatchee on 'Saint Cloud,' Sobriety, and Hope for the Future". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
14. "Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
15. "Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
16. Donelson, Marcy. "Saint Cloud – Waxahatchee". AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
17. Christgau, Robert (July 8, 2020). "Consumer Guide: July, 2020". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
18. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (March 27, 2020). "Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud review – the best album of the year so far". The Guardian. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
19. Pollard, Alexandra; Bray, Elisa (March 26, 2020). "Album reviews: Sufjan Stevens, 'Aporia', Waxahatchee, 'Saint Cloud' and Basia Bulat, 'Are You in Love?'". The Independent. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
20. Neale, Matthew (March 23, 2020). "Waxahatchee – 'Saint Cloud' review: Katie Crutchfield embraces her Americana idols with stunning results". NME. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
21. Rogers, Jude (March 29, 2020). "Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud review – fierce and ambitious but hard to love". The Observer. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
22. Larson, Jeremy D. (March 27, 2020). "Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
23. Aroesti, Rachel (May 2020). "The Sweet Spot". Q. No. 410. pp. 114–15.
24. Shaffer, Claire (March 25, 2020). "Waxahatchee's 'Saint Cloud' Vividly Maps a Healing Path". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
25. Mackay, Emily (May 2020). "Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud". Uncut. No. 276. p. 34.
26. Riemenschneider, Chris (September 13, 2021). "A year late, Waxahatchee shines a clear light on golden album at First Ave". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
27. Hakimian, Rob (December 9, 2020). "BPM's Top 50 Albums of 2020". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
28. "Top 50 Albums of 2020". Consequence of Sound. 2020-12-01. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
29. "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Double J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
30. "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2020". Exclaim!. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
31. "Gigwise's 51 Best Albums of 2020". Gigwise. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
32. "The Best Albums of 2020". The Line of Best Fit. December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
33. Walker, Jerad (December 2, 2020). "The Best Albums of 2020". NPR. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
34. Johnson, Ellen (November 30, 2020). "The Best Albums of 2020". Paste. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
35. Moreland, Quinn (December 8, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
36. "The 60 Best Albums of 2020". PopMatters. December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
37. Bernstein, Jonathan; Blake, Emily; Blistein, Jon; Dolan, Jon; Doyle, Patrick; Ehrlick, Brenna; Freeman, Jon; Grow, Kory; Hoard, Christian; Hudak, Joseph; Leight, Elias; Martoccio, Angie; Shaffer, Claire; Sheffield, Rob; Shteamer, Hank; Vozick-Levinson, Simon (December 4, 2020). "Best Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
38. "The Skinny's Favourite Albums of 2020". The Skinny. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
39. "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Slant Magazine. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
40. "The 50 Best Albums Of 2020 So Far". Stereogum. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
41. "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
42. "The Best Albums of 2020". Uproxx. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
43. Snyder, Kyle (December 9, 2020). "Top 30 Albums of 2020". The Wild Honey Pie. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
44. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
45. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
46. "Waxahatchee Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
47. "Waxahatchee Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
48. "Waxahatchee Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
49. "Waxahatchee Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
50. "Waxahatchee Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2020.