Plains is the duo project of Waxahatchee and Jess Williamson. Several comments I’ve seen have insisted that this record is ‘pretty, but nothing special’. I disagree. IWWYAW certainly cooks to a recipe, but the final product is a meticulous, poignant collection of country tracks. Yes, I’ll be taking the boomer line that you don’t need to experiment when making good apple pie. Both vocal performances are unfailingly sharp in their enthusiasm, but don’t abuse the ‘country twang’ for artistic gain. The two artists place pop and country in the foreground, inspiring a seamless, gratifying equilibrium through keenly expressed narratives. This is special, just in the lightest way.
24/30
A favourite: ‘Problem With It’
‘I Walked With You A Ways’ is out now via Anti.
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