I Walked with You a Ways (Plains) – music review
“If it’s all you got, yeah, it’s all you gave, I got a problem with it. If you can’t do better than that, babe, I got a problem with it.” This is the catchy chorus you hear in Plains single, “Problem With It,” and it is incredibly hard to get out of your head. This memorable track is just one great example of the heartfelt songwriting that you will find on the debut from this duo composed of Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson.
I Walked With You A Ways is a very straightforward Americana roots record and even finds itself wading into its own indie country pop style. Now, if you heard Waxahatchee’s fantastic 2020 record Saint Cloud, you will not even be surprised of how comfortable Crutchfield sounds in this genre. Both her and Williamson are more known for their indie credibility, but both went down a dustier road with each of their 2020 records. That ease with the style and with each other gives Plains its natural sounding energy. If you didn’t know the members’ background, you would never guess that they haven’t always been belting out these Southern twang filled tunes.
As you might expect, both Crutchfield and Williamson both write the compositions and trade lead vocal duties. The most important ingredient of Plains success though is how their floating harmonizing gives each track its lived-in vibe while also sounding so natural. Right now, it seems that Plains may only be a one-time collaborative side project for this duo but based on the strength of I Walked With You A Ways let’s hope that this is a duo that will find more time to spend together somewhere in the near future!
Thomas Wilde
For more of Thomas Wilde’s music reviews, check out The Fire Note
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Tigers Blood (Waxahatchee) – music review
- Floating Features (La Luz) – music review
- Calm Down (Ari Roar) – music review
The Fire Note started to create a simple place that could showcase records that we liked. Nothing more, nothing less. The focus has always been about the album and the experience that a great record creates. The Fire Note Webzine builds on this idea by offering an array of content that is all about the enjoyment of music, its pulse and energizing attitude.