Puberty 2 - Mitski

What do you get when you mix The Pixies, Weezer and St Vincent? Mitski’s Puberty 2 of course. In a fit of art pop and Noise Pop, Mitski has released one of the finest Indie albums of recent years.

The album is the 26 year old American’s 4th and while her previous efforts like 2014’s Bury Me At Makeout Creek might have been a anxious sounding slow-burner of an album, it’s sequel manages to give Mitski something she’s never had before, her own sound. 

Easy comparisons to contemporary artists could be Angel Olsen or St Vincent with whom she shares gender as well as adventurousness and artistic sensibilities. 


The album cover of Mitski's fourth studio album.


The first half of the record is easily the best record half I’ve heard all year with the potential exception of A Tribe Called Quest’s recent record. The album starts with the infectious Happy and the run of tracks from then until I Bet On Losing Dogs is incredible.

However the real song of the record is Your Best American Girl which has received rave reviews all over the media for sounding like a classic indie anthem, in the vein of Weezer or The Pixies. 

Then Mitski has songs like I Bet On Losing Dogs, Fireworks and Once More To See You, all of which are really incredible songs that help frame the album as the best Indie Rock album since 2014’s St Vincent.


The New York Artist (Photo Credit: Ebru Yildiz)


Sadly the second half of the record loses the momentum slightly and while the remaining songs are fine, and at times wonderful, they fail to live up to the first half, the one exception to this being Crack Baby.

However the future of the record is something a lot more open-ended than defining the album's strengths, the album has all the makings of a future cult classic but at the same time perhaps Mitski will manage to break the mold and in 20 years time we will all be complaining about hipsters wearing Mitski T-shirts.


While I’m not a fortuneteller, I can tell you one thing. Get the record, listen to it, and then tell all your cool friends about your favourite album of 2016.



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