Waxahatchee had one of last year’s better albums with Saint Cloud, and now, nearly a year after its release, she has finally made her late-night television debut playing one of its songs: Katie Crutchfield stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live last night to perform “Lilacs.”
The performance was pre-taped remotely, from inside a white room adorned with golden whear and her backing band. Wearing an appropriately lilac-colored outfit, she and the band confidently ran through the vulnerable track.
Crutchfield previously said of the song, “‘Lilacs’ was the last song I wrote for the record and it’s mostly just about obsessive/negative thought patterns. It’s about backsliding into old behaviors that don’t serve you and sort of letting your worst self get the best of you. I think that when people are in that mindset they can really try to turn the blame onto other people, so the song sort of plays out like a conflict you’d have with someone you love. It’s meant to capture that moment of heat that happens right when you realize you’re wrong or that your issue is more with yourself than with someone else — being flawed and fragile but making progress inch by inch. The chorus serves as a sweet little resolve. I wanted it to feel like the light at the end of the tunnel, and the reminder that it can always and often does get better.”
Watch Waxahatchee perform “Lilacs” on Kimmel above.