# Saint Cloud (album)

Saint Cloud is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Waxahatchee, released on March 27, 2020, by Merge Records. 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.

## Background

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). She made the decision to choose sobriety after hitting a particularly low point at Primavera Sound in Barcelona. In between albums, she released a stopgap EP, Great Thunder, hinting at a burgeoning folk sound.
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. Crutchfield utilized members of the Michigan band Bonny Doon as her backing band. 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. Its lyricism was heavily inspired by the work of Lucinda Williams, and mainly tackles themes of "addiction and codependency". Crutchfield titled the album and its titular song after her father's hometown of St. Cloud, Florida, a small community outside of Orlando.
She wrote the bulk of the songs at her home in Kansas City, where she lived with her partner Kevin Morby. She noted that Morby would give her positive feedback when she shared the material.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.4/10 |
| Metacritic | 88/100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| And It Don't Stop | A− |
| The Guardian | |
| The Independent | |
| NME | |
| The Observer | |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10 |
| Q | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Uncut | 8/10 |
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. 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."
Saint Cloud was received rapturously by music critics, who praised the album's sincerity and tone. Robert Christgau reviewed the album in his "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".

### Accolades

Accolades for Saint Cloud :
| Publication | Accolade | Rank |
| Beats Per Minute | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 36 |
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 6 |
| Double J | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 6 |
| Exclaim! | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 18 |
| Gigwise | Top 51 Albums of 2020 | 26 |
| The Line of Best Fit | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 12 |
| NPR | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 47 |
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 2 |
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 2 |
| PopMatters | The 60 Best Albums of 2020 | 9 |
| Rolling Stone | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 7 |
| The Skinny | Top 10 Albums of 2020 | 6 |
| Slant Magazine | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 12 |
| Stereogum | Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | 2 |
| Under the Radar | Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020 | 6 |
| Uproxx | The Best Albums and Songs of 2020 | 7 |
| The Wild Honey Pie | Top 30 Albums of 2020 | 2 |

## Track listing

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

## 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) | 24 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) | 7 |
| US Billboard 200 | 140 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard) | 2 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) | 17 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) | 6 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) | 19 |