Although they first met only five years ago, musicians Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson have long followed parallel paths.
Both grew up in southern states where country music is ubiquitous (Crutchfield, Alabama, and Williamson, who recorded as Waxahatchie). Maturing in the late 1990s, they were shaped by mainstream country radio’s powerful but ultimately fleeting embrace of strong female artists. Crutchfield hummed along to Shania Twain, Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood in the backseat of her parents’ car.
Like many teenagers, they later rebelled against punk and indie rock. But as they grew older and matured as artists, they found themselves trying to reconnect with their national roots and make sense of conflicting feelings about their Southern heritage, leading individualistic outlaw songwriter Townes I felt a kinship with elders like Van Zandt and Lucinda Williams.
Crutchfield and Williamson were introduced by Crutchfield’s boyfriend, musician Kevin Morby, at a restaurant in Austin, and finally crossed paths in 2017 and became instant friends. ‘I felt like this guy was for me,'” Crutchfield said over a video call from his Kansas City home full of instruments.
Calling from Marfa, Texas, in a floral dress and silver crescent moon necklace, Williamson recalled their long bonding time in Los Angeles just before the pandemic. Me and Katie are talking in the corner,” she said.
In the spring of 2020, both released sharply introspective and career-best albums. The Cloud,” and Williamson’s enchanting “Sorceress” — but there was no telling when they would be able to tour. One day, Crutchfield said, “This is how I want to start a band.” As simple as that, Plains was born.
For Williamson, Plains’ debut album, I Walked With You a Ways, released on October 14, was something of a continuation of the aesthetic of her previous solo releases. “‘Sorceress’ was the most country-sounding song ever. described as a “way of communicating these influences that we love.” A record as a trio of Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
But Crutchfield envisioned Planes as something of a palate cleanser after a series of challenging but emotionally intense albums. ‘St. Cloud’ was a really big record for me in so many ways,” she said. And then I had to learn how to write songs and make records.” She said she wasn’t ready to make another Waxahatchee record.
A self-professed “Harmony Head,” Crutchfield is no stranger to collaboration. Throughout her life, she has sung and made music with her twin sister, Alison. In particular, she sings with the precocious and now-defunct pop-punk group PS Her Elliott. Williamson, on the other hand, was working primarily as a solo artist, so her experience with Plains meant opening doors to new techniques for her. Crutchfield, for example, wanted her vocals to be tracked in as few takes as possible to achieve her loose, natural feel.
Crutchfield and Williamson each brought five independently written songs and relied on others to “punch up in the room”. “A lot of Jess’ songs were old-school country waltzes, which I love,” said Crutchfield. Rock feeling. ”
Williamson’s vivid songwriting and sharp voice shine through on “Abilene,” a heartbreaking and poetic ballad that recalls Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. Her Crutchfield soulful “Hurricane” filters her Chick’s assertive self-confidence through a keen self-analysis of her own songwriting. It’s been that way all my life. But when their voices intertwine in harmony, as they do on the spirited opening “Summer Sun,” all of these disparate transgenerational influences unite for a timeless sound. form the
They hope their upcoming tour together will be as light and carefree as the project itself. life story, there’s a lot of pressure,” Williamson said. “This project feels really fun and festive. It feels universal in a way.”
For the two artists, Plains’ sound represents a kind of homecoming. Because the evolution of their singing voice reflects a personal speculation about their own past.
“If you know how long I’ve been trying to keep my Southern accent down,” said Crutchfield. I feel like they’re trying really hard to hide it.”
The palpable sense of self-acceptance and hard-won confidence that drew listeners to “Cent”. Cloud” takes its course as well as “I Walked With You a Way”. Her Crutchfield can hear that maturity in her own voice.”People grow as singers over time,” added Crutchfield. “You develop your voice and it strips away what it’s really supposed to look like. From what I’ve seen, we all feel better as we get older. I think it helped me a lot just by trying.” She let out a deep sigh. “I feel like I’ve taken off my bra.”
Williamson was delighted with the metaphor, saying, “I like that image, Katie,” she said.