Indie darling Mitski – 25-year old Mitski Miyawaki – is riding a wave of momentum leading up to the release of her next album, Puberty 2, due out June 17 on the Dead Oceans label.
She’s released two singles so far – “Your Best American Girl” and most recently, “Happy” – with an American tour in the works this summer. Her first NYC gig at the fabled Bowery Ballroom on June 20 was sold out weeks in advance, leading to a second New York City show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 27. Her LA show’s been moved from the Echo to the larger capacity Echoplex. So what’s all the buzz about?
The words “unique” and “alternative” are thrown around a lot but Mitski lives up to the billing. She grounds her sound in dreamy, classic vocals that float above textured sonic layers and a hypnotic beat. Perceptive and poetic lyrics add intriguing depths to her songs.
“Your Best American Girl” is a quirky anthem with compelling lyrics and a mesmerizing sound.
If I could, I’d be your little spoon and kiss your fingers for ever more…
It starts with a spare and minimalist vibe, building to a swell of sound and emotion that is anchored by her calm, melodic vocals. It’s a love song for 21st century sensibilities.
“Happy”, the new single, is the opening track on Puberty 2. On “Happy”, she once again blends that spare electronica beat with a rich mix of sounds and a lush arrangement that takes over towards the middle of the song, her voice an ethereal thread above it all.
Happy came to visit me
He bought cookies on the way
I poured him tea
And he told me, it’ll all be okay…
Mitski has this to say about the song in a media release:
“Happiness f**ks you. Once it’s in your hands you try to hold onto it, but the nature of happiness is that it passes through and eventually leaves, and something else – sadness, anger, a low after the high – has to follow. This song is about this exhaustive and exhausting cycle, and how sometimes one would rather not have any of it at all than be constantly thrown about by the waves of these fleeting states.”
With Mitski on bass and vocals, her trio is rounded out by Callan Dwan on guitar and Casey Weissbuch on drums. She’s taking the band on the road for a global tour that will see her crisscrossing the U.S., with dates in Toronto (July 22) and Montreal (July 25) before she heads to Europe in September and October.
Born in Japan, Mitski trekked across the world with her military family and began writing music and recording at the age of 18. Puberty 2 is her fourth album and the first on Dead Oceans Records.
Pre-order Puberty 2:
via Dead Oceans
via iTunes
via Amazon