On her 2014 breakout album Bury Me at Makeout Creek, Mitski took us by the hand, acknowledged that growing up sort of sucks no matter how old you are, and then gave us a perfect collection of songs for feeling emotions in the meantime. Two years later, Mitski is back to acknowledge any lingering growing pains she missed the first time with a new single, “Your Best American Girl,” from her forthcoming album, Puberty 2 (out June 17). I first heard this beautiful, messy, painfully vulnerable song at her Valentine’s Day show, and the combination of Mitski’s melodies and emotional gut-punches made me tear up, awkwardly, in a sea of couples. I’d recommend listening, but maybe in the privacy of your own weeping chamber (apartment, car, shower stall at the gym, etc.).
