Waxahatchee’s Ivy Tripp is a record about feeling lost in your own life. It is also a record about making pop songs that sound effortless even when they are not. Katie Crutchfield wrote the album after a breakup, and the songs carry that weight without ever naming it directly. The title, she explained, is “a term I made up for directionless-ness, specifically of the 20-something, 30-something, 40-something of today, lacking regard for the complaisant life path of our parents and grandparents.” It is a description of her own generation, and of herself, at a moment when she had stopped following anyone else’s map.
The music follows that same idea. Crutchfield built the record at her own pace, hiding out in the studio until she got everything right. She told Pitchfork that “just got to hide out and make a record. At my own pace. That was important to me.” The result is a cohesive, mature follow-up to her earlier work, one that balances pop hooks with introspective writing without ever letting either side win.
Track List
| # | Track |
|---|---|
| 1 | Breathless |
| 2 | Under a Rock |
| 3 | Poison |
| 4 | La Loose |
| 5 | Stale by Noon |
| 6 | The Dirt |
| 7 | Blue |
| 8 | Air |
| 9 | < |
| 10 | Grey Hair |
| 11 | Summer of Love |
| 12 | Half Moon |
| 13 | Bonfire |
Breathless Opens the Record
The opener sets the tone immediately. It is a song about being unable to catch your breath, both literally and emotionally, and it carries that tension through a slow-burning build that pays off in the final stretch. It is the strongest track on the record, and it announces the album’s ambition early.
Under a Rock and Poison Follow
Under a Rock is a shorter, sharper number that uses its brevity to land a punch. Poison follows with a more direct hook, a song about a relationship that has turned toxic and the difficulty of walking away. Both tracks are brief, but neither wastes a second.
La Loose Through Blue
La Loose, Stale by Noon and The Dirt form the middle stretch, three songs that hold the record together without demanding attention on their own. They are competent, tuneful and unremarkable, the kind of songs that keep the album moving without slowing it down.
Blue is the standout of this trio, a quieter, more reflective piece that shows Crutchfield’s range outside the pop framework she is best known for. It is a small highlight in a section that mostly fades into the background.
Air, < and Grey Hair
Air and < are the lesser tracks here. They are competent but slight, the kind of songs that feel like sketches rather than finished pieces. Grey Hair is the shortest track on the record, and it earns its brevity by getting in and out quickly.
Summer of Love and Half Moon
Summer of Love is a warmer, more nostalgic number, a reminder of a simpler time that feels distant even as it is being sung about. Half Moon is a mid-tempo closer that ties the record together without resolving anything. It is a patient ending, one that leaves the listener with a sense of unfinished business rather than closure.
Bonfire Closes the Album
Bonfire is the final track, and it is the longest on the record. It is a slow-burning finale that builds to a cathartic release, a song about letting go that feels earned after everything that came before it. It is not the best song on the record, but it is the right one to end it.
The Verdict
Ivy Tripp is a confident, mature record from a songwriter who knows exactly what she wants to say and how to say it. The weaker tracks are never bad, but they are rarely essential, and the album’s strength rests on the handful of songs that carry the weight. Breathless, Under a Rock and Poison are the tracks that will define this record for years to come.
The album holds an 8.1/10 on Metacritic, which matches the critical reception. It is a solid, consistent record that rewards repeated listens without demanding them. It is a record about being lost, and it finds its way home at the end.
- Breathless4:45
- Under a Rock2:08
- Poison2:10
- La Loose3:13
- Stale by Noon2:44
- The Dirt2:02
- Blue2:06
- Air3:11
- <3:20
- Grey Hair1:45
- Summer of Love2:20
- Half Moon3:21
- Bonfire4:59
