Katie Crutchfield has murder on her mind.

Like 86 per cent of the world’s population – or what feels like that many people, anyway – the Philadelphia-based musician behind the Waxahatchee moniker has become addicted to the controversial Netflix seriesMaking A Murderer.“I watched it. My boyfriend and I just like, binged. We watched the whole thing in a day and a half when we were at my parents’ house for Christmas. I’m kind of a true crime nerd anyway, so as soon as I heard about it I was like, ‘I’ve gotta see this.’”

Crutchfield has developed her own conclusion about the potential innocence of the show’s subject, Steven Avery, a conclusion that can’t be recounted here in case it ruins the surprise for anyone who hasn’t yet seen the show. But it’s safe to say she’s put a lot of time into her theory – or theories, more precisely.

“I’ve just been reading all the interviews … I kinda went back and forth because there were all these articles coming out about what the filmmakers withheld from the trial.” She laughs. “I’ve changed my mind on it like three or four times.”

Outside the lengthy eight-hour-plus commitment that a relationship with a television show requires these days, Crutchfield has kept herself busy, recently completing a tour with her idols Sleater-Kinney. It’s a series of dates about which she speaks very fondly.

“Obviously seeing Sleater-Kinney playing every night was just amazing. And they were just so sweet and smart … I feel so lucky that we got to not only play with them but that we got to hang out. It was just a great, great experience.” She pauses, trying to find the perfect word. “Magic. [The shows] were magic.”

As it happens, ‘magic’ also feels like the best adjective to use when describing Crutchfield’s own work. There’s a power to her music that transcends the real; a kind of buzzy, quivering energy that most obviously manifests itself on ‘Half Moon’, the piano-led penultimate track of Ivy Tripp, Waxahatchee’s recent record.

“I had gone through a phase when I was writing piano ballads,” she says. “Sad ballads. I wrote that song [‘Half Moon’] a long time ago … It’s pretty autobiographical. But I think that for several reasons I wanted to stay away from getting really close to my own feelings. I kinda wanted to describe things that are more general.”

That said, Crutchfield’s writing process is beginning to alter. “I’m sort of starting to work on my next record. I’m starting to concoct some ideas,” she says. “[I look forward to] going back to getting close to my own feelings again. That’s something I’m excited to do.”

Crutchfield has a full calendar this year – not only does she have the record to write, she’s also taking her show back on the road, returning to Australian shores for the second time in less than 12 months. On the subject of live shows, Crutchfield is remarkably candid.

“I still struggle with [performing]. I think about it a lot. When I first started making music, it was such a private thing, because I wrote songs and played music alone. It was never something I thought about, performing. It was about starting out with an idea and ending up with a finished project. That’s the part I liked. [Performing] is a struggle. There was a while when I would not move at all or just close my eyes, play the songs and wait for it to be over. But I enjoy it now.”

Above all else, Crutchfield comes across as grateful; humbled by the idea that people are still rocking up to her shows and buying her records. “I feel really fortunate for the way Waxahatchee has grown. It didn’t happen overnight. It has just sort of [happened].”

This humility has also led to Crutchfield using her influence to help others, most notably playing a number of dates in order to raise funds for Planned Parenthood, an organisation dedicated to providing reproductive health services in both America and overseas.

“The funding for Planned Parenthood is constantly at risk. That’s why I’m playing [benefits] for them, cause they need money. It’s a weird emotional issue for so many people. It serves such an important purpose. And so many people don’t see it like that.”

When asked if American opinions on women’s reproductive rights are changing, Crutchfield appears hopeful but realistic. Perhaps her guarded, considered response is unsurprising, given the times in which we now live. Senator Ted Cruz, the man who recently trounced Donald Trump in the Iowa caucus, has forged a political career out of an opposition to Planned Parenthood, and has claimed that he will launch a full investigation into the organisation if he is to become US President.

“[America] is very polarised right now,” Crutchfield says. “There are so many parts of the country that are so conservative, and I can’t imagine it’s changed that much. I think as time moves forward it’s insane that there are so many people that want to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. That’s why people get angrier and angrier – cause times are changing, and laws are not changing. And people are not changing. And it’s just kinda sad.”

When told about the issues facing women in Australia – specifically the recently proposed legislation that would have led to women paying for pap smears – Crutchfield sounds disappointed rather than surprised. “I wish I was shocked,” she says, then laughs, then stops. “I feel your pain, Australia.”

Waxahatchee’sIvy Tripp is out now through Wichita/[PIAS], and onWednesday February 17 she performs at Oxford Art Factory, with Infinite Void and Mere Women in support.

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