Puberty 2

Background and recording

In a Q&A with Stereogum regarding Puberty 2, Mitski stated that after the breakout indie success of her third studio album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek, she felt out of touch with music, and that she "went back to her roots" in recording her fourth album, Puberty 2. In the same interview, Mitski further explained that this meant she drew inspiration from the compositions of all three of her previous studio albums; Lush, Retired from Sad, New Career In Business, and Bury Me at Makeout Creek. She also stated that in contrast to her previous album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek, Puberty 2's music would not be made with the intent to be performed live at DIY venues in similar renditions, and that instead, she would create new renditions of the songs to perform live.

Puberty 2 was recorded entirely in the now-defunct Acme Studios in Westchester, New York, over a two-week period with sole producer, Patrick Hyland.

Composition

In an interview with Mitski prior the album's release, The New York Times labeled the album's sound as "an impressive collection of D.I.Y. punk and indie rock". According to Jillian Mapes of Pitchfork, Puberty 2's composition is influenced by second-wave emo, "wistful dream pop", "slow-simmering electronics", "brusquely strummed folk-punk", surf guitar, and "plenty of '60s pop hooks". Mapes also noted Mitski's vocal delivery on the album to go through different "modes", including "deadpan disenfranchisement, smooth R&B, dream-pop croon, gasping-for-breath pleas, [and] wall of harmonies (with herself)".

Critical reception

Puberty 2 was released to widespread acclaim from music critics. Critics praised the album's more restrained and nuanced emotional trajectory, as well as its complex lyrical themes, which include longing, love, depression, alienation, and racial identity. NPR critic Laura Snapes commented on the album's subtlety, writing that Puberty 2 "is a strike against the happy/sad poles that govern our lives." Katie Rife of The A.V. Club deemed it "a triumphant new step in her evolution".

Track listing

All tracks written by Mitski Miyawaki.