Snocaps: A Tale of Three Sisters

Waxhatchee (Katie Crutchfield) and MJ Lenderman—two of the biggest names in the modern indie folk-country scene— are fresh off the tracks of an incredibly successful year with both of them earning Grammy nominations for their respective 2024 albums, Tiger’s Blood and Manning Fireworks, both of which were met with near universal critical acclaim.

So when it was announced that they were dropping a surprise collaborative album this Halloween alongside Waxhatchee’s identical twin sister, Allison Crutchfield, and acclaimed indie producer, Brad Cook (who earned the title of “your favorite indie band’s secret weapon” from Pitchfork), I and many other indie music fans were beyond enthused. 

Snocaps is essentially a modern indie supergroup. Their self-titled first album combines the artful songwriting skills of the Crutchfield sisters—who have been making music together and separately for over two decades—Lenderman’s characteristic raw and twangy guitar stylings, and the production skills of Brad Cook, who has worked with beloved acts such as Bon Iver, The Mountain Goats, and Waxhatchee herself.

But beyond the musical pedigree of its individual members, the central strength of Snocaps lies with the Crutchfield sisters. Centering their sisterly bond was always the goal of the project, which Katie and Allison embarked upon together in early 2025 as a callback to their original two-woman band, P.S. Eliot. It was only once they had composed 12 songs on their own that they decided to bring in Lenderman and Cook as collaborators, as Katie explained in a recent article on her Substack. The Crutchfields’ evident lifelong dedication to the craft of songwriting is what truly makes the album shine. From the long-haired cat perched in a window that opens track two, “Heathcliffe,” to the piece of cherry-flavored hard candy shattering on the floor that gives track six, “Cherry Hard Candy,” its name, every song on Snocaps is grounded in striking images rendered so vividly you could reach out and touch them. And perhaps even more impressive than the actual content of the lyrics is their delivery. At times, the Crutchfield sisters’ voices are almost indistinguishable from one another, piercing through Lenderman’s guitar work with an almost magical, siren-esque quality.

Image Credit: Bandcamp

The expert lyricism combined with the Crutchfields’ powerful vocals lends itself perfectly to the central theme underpinning Snocaps: sisterly love. While certain tracks might on the surface read as straightforward, romantic love songs, hanging over the album like a spectre is Sydney, the third Crutchfield sister, whose unnamed presence lingers in each shared harmony and proclamation of affection. In a recent interview with Oxford American detailing the creative process behind her most recent album, Tigers Blood, Waxhatchee spoke at length about Sydney, who struggles with addiction, citing her as a large source of inspiration for much of the album. Given this knowledge, it is clear that Snocaps is at least in part a love letter to Sydney while also serving as a moving meditation on the sibling relationship.

Some tracks on Snocaps reference the youngest Crutchfield more explicitly than others. For example, on “You in Rehab,” the narrator sings, “I’m glad you finally went to rehab,” alongside well wishes and withdrawn statements of hope for a person they fear will never get better, despite loving them so much it “splits their heart in two.” Tracks such as “I Don’t Want To” and “Heathcliffe” make more oblique references to sisterly devotion. Throughout “I Don’t Want To,” the Crutchfields repeat the refrain “I write your poetry line for line / keep one eye on you all the time,” conjuring the crushing intimacy and protectiveness that is characteristic of many sibling relationships. A similar sentiment bleeds through on “Heathcliffe,” in which the chorus swells with the phrase “when you go down / you’ll take me down with you,” demonstrating the all-consuming, codependent nature of the narrator’s love as well as the depth of their connection to the unnamed “you.”

Regardless of whether or not the album is truly a tribute to Sydney Crutchfield, Snocaps is a remarkably mature and nuanced commentary on what it is like to love a person whom you don’t always understand; an experience which many listeners can likely relate to. From the joyous highs of tracks like “Brand New City” and “Cherry Hard Candy,” both of which teem with bright, triumphant guitar riffs and warm nostalgic imagery, to the devastating longing of “You In Rehab” and “I Don’t Want To,” the album takes the listener on a journey through a relationship that manages to be full of frustration, grief, and unwavering love all at once. And it does so with piercing lyrical clarity and masterful musical arrangement to boot. It is clear the Crutchfield sisters’ 21 years worth of experience has turned them into masters of storytelling via song, and Snocaps is just their latest feat.

Rating: INDY

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Kate Heslin is a sophomore in the School of Health majoring in Global Health and minoring in Creative Writing. She loves her younger sister.