Performer Notes

Photographer: Patrick Hyland.
Based in Brooklyn but with an unsettled background that called over a dozen countries on multiple continents home before she reached her twenties, Mitski Miyawaki makes her Dead Oceans debut with her fourth album, Puberty 2. Her background is not irrelevant here, as the album reflects her own, very personal -- and intentional or not, her generation's -- crisis of belonging as she recounts stories of navigating young adulthood in the City. A visceral work that shares the immediacy of classic punk and confessional singer/songwriter fare at once, Puberty 2 takes listeners behind closed doors with the kind of no-holds-barred lyrics that are likely to leave a lasting impression. The opener "Happy" is full of bite and irony as she describes a hook-up and his stealthy exit in a context of grooving rhythms, a catchy melody, and poppy saxophone solos. Through it all in the background -- though it's brought to the fore in the intro and outro -- is the relentless pounding of a drum. Understated guitar and synths mark the infectious "Fireworks," which has Mitski predict, almost deadpan, "One morning this sadness will fossilize/And I will forget how to cry." As the song builds momentum, many listeners will catch themselves bobbing heads in time despite its despondent lyrics. The fuzzier "Your Best American Girl" plays more like a power ballad as the singer, whose mother's side of the family is Japanese, laments the end of a relationship with an "All-American boy." The break-up is at least partly due to the predicted disapproval of his mother. A two-minute punk anthem for the nation's youth and beyond, "My Body's Made of Crushed Little Stars" frets "I wanna see the whole world/I don't know how I'm gonna pay rent." Here her voice lets loose, shouting and gasping, in sharp contrast to the deliberate self-control of some of the other tracks. Fearless and affecting from beginning to end, Puberty 2, while certainly individualistic, has the potential for far-reaching relatability. ~ Marcy Donelson

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "As bawdy and unpredictable as anyone is in their first puberty, PUBERTY 2 shows Miyawaki indulging her whims with a devil-may-care attitude -- the result is an incendiary self-portrait."

Spin - "Miyawaki has a way of tightening the string around your guts....The two advantages she enjoys over fellow earnest indie-rock contemporaries are her unpredictable arrangements and her sparsely deployed but crucial sense of humor..."

Magnet - "[T]here are moments on this album that hit like C-4 in your chest and an elevator to the head. Following 'Fireworks' with 'Your Best American Girl' is an emo pile-on of Cap'n Jazz proportions, but Mitski's just getting warm."

Clash (Magazine) - "There's something distinctly cosmic about Mitski's songwriting both thematically and in terms of scope....PUBERTY 2 fully embraces the notion of being free truly to feel one's feelings."

Album: PUBERTY 2
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Happy	More Info...	0:03
2)	Dan the Dancer	More Info...	0:02
3)	Once More to See You	More Info...	0:03
4)	Fireworks	More Info...	0:02
5)	Your Best American Girl	More Info...	0:03
6)	I Bet On Losing Dogs	More Info...	0:03
7)	My Body's Made of Crushed Little Stars	More Info...	0:02
8)	Thursday Girl	More Info...	0:03
9)	A Loving Feeling	More Info...	0:01
10)	Crack Baby	More Info...	0:05
11)	A Burning Hell	More Info...	0:01

Album: PUBERTY 2
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Happy	More Info...	0:03
2)	Dan the Dancer	More Info...	0:02
3)	Once More to See You	More Info...	0:03
4)	Fireworks	More Info...	0:02
5)	Your Best American Girl	More Info...	0:03
6)	I Bet On Losing Dogs	More Info...	0:03
7)	My Body's Made of Crushed Little Stars	More Info...	0:02
8)	Thursday Girl	More Info...	0:03
9)	A Loving Feeling	More Info...	0:01
10)	Crack Baby	More Info...	0:05
11)	A Burning Hell	More Info...	0:01