Puberty 2

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 Puberty 2 by drawing inspiration from the compositions of all three of her previous studio albums. 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 instead she would create new renditions of the songs to perform live.{{cite web |url=http://www.stereogum.com/1874145/qa-mitski-goes-back-to-her-roots-on-puberty-2/franchises/interview |title=Q&A: Mitski Goes Back To Her Roots On Puberty 2 |last=Rettig |first=James |date=June 8, 2016 |work=Stereogum |access-date=December 30, 2016}} The album was recorded entirely in the now-defunct Acme Studios in Westchester, New York, over a two-week period with producer and longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland.

The New York Times labeled the sound of Puberty 2 as "an impressive collection of D.I.Y. punk and indie rock".{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/arts/music/mitski-puberty-2-interview.html |title=Mitski's 'Puberty 2' Mines Her Scars for Raw Meaning |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=June 2, 2016 |access-date=October 16, 2016 |last=Caramanica |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Caramanica}} According to Jillian Mapes of Pitchfork, Puberty 2{{'}}s composition contains 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)".

{{Music ratings

| ADM = 8.2/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/8092/Mitski-Puberty-2.aspx|title=Puberty 2 by Mitski reviews|publisher=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=October 12, 2019}}

| MC = 87/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/puberty-2/mitski|title=Reviews for Puberty 2 by Mitski|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=October 16, 2016}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web|last=Donelson|first=Marcy|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/puberty-2-mw0002924504|title=Puberty 2 – Mitski|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=November 16, 2019}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2score = A{{cite news|last=Rife|first=Katie|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/adulthood-such-sweet-sorrow-mitskis-powerful-puber-238038|title=Adulthood is such sweet sorrow on Mitski's powerful Puberty 2|work=The A.V. Club|date=June 17, 2016|access-date=October 17, 2016}}

| rev3 = Consequence of Sound

| rev3score = A−{{cite web|last=Dolan|first=Ciara|url=https://consequence.net/2016/06/album-review-mitski-puberty-2/|title=Mitski – Puberty 2|work=Consequence of Sound|date=June 15, 2016|access-date=October 19, 2016}}

| rev4 = Financial Times

| rev4score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite news|last=Hunter-Tilney|first=Ludovic|url=https://www.ft.com/content/0d6bf0e0-335e-11e6-bda0-04585c31b153|title=Mitski: Puberty 2 — review|work=Financial Times|date=June 17, 2016|access-date=May 10, 2019|url-access=subscription}}

| rev5 = The Guardian

| rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite news|last=Jonze|first=Tim|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/16/mitski-puberty-2-review|title=Mitski: Puberty 2 review – unflinching confessional pop full of wit and pain|work=The Guardian|date=June 16, 2016|access-date=October 19, 2016}}

| rev6 = Pitchfork

| rev6score = 8.5/10{{cite web|last=Mapes|first=Jillian|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21970-puberty-2/|title=Mitski: Puberty 2 Album Review|work=Pitchfork|date=June 22, 2016|access-date=October 19, 2016}}

| rev7 = Q

| rev7score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|last=Solomon|first=Kate|title=Mitski: Puberty 2|journal=Q|issue=361|date=2016|edition=30th anniversary special|page=112}}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Exposito|first=Suzy|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/mitski-puberty-2-20160617|title=Puberty 2|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 17, 2016|access-date=October 19, 2016}}

| rev9 = Spin

| rev9score = 9/10{{cite journal|last=Weiss|first=Dan|url=http://www.spin.com/2016/06/review-mitski-puberty-2/|title=Review: Mitski Really Gives Emo Something to Write Home About on 'Puberty 2′|journal=Spin|date=June 13, 2016|access-date=October 19, 2016}}

| rev10 = Uncut

| rev10score = 8/10{{cite journal|last=Wallace|first=Wyndham|title=Mitski: Puberty 2|journal=Uncut|issue=230|date=July 2016|page=78}}

}}

Puberty 2 was released to widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic the album received an average score of 87, based on 22 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". 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.{{cite web|last=Breihan|first=Tom|url=http://www.stereogum.com/1882397/album-of-the-week-mitski-puberty-2/franchises/album-of-the-week/|title=Album Of The Week: Mitski Puberty 2|work=Stereogum|date=June 14, 2016|access-date=October 16, 2016}} Laura Snapes of NPR commented on the album's subtlety, writing that Puberty 2 "is a strike against the happy/sad poles that govern our lives."{{cite web|last=Snapes|first=Laura|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/06/09/480340979/first-listen-mitski-puberty-2|title=Review: Mitski, 'Puberty 2'|work=NPR|date=June 9, 2016|access-date=October 16, 2016}} Katie Rife of The A.V. Club deemed it "a triumphant new step in her evolution".

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Mitski Miyawaki, except where noted

| extra_column =

| title1 = Happy

| length1 = 3:40

| title2 = Dan the Dancer

| length2 = 2:25

| title3 = Once More to See You

| length3 = 3:01

| title4 = Fireworks

| length4 = 2:37

| title5 = Your Best American Girl

| length5 = 3:32

| title6 = I Bet on Losing Dogs

| length6 = 2:50

| title7 = My Body's Made of Crushed Little Stars

| length7 = 1:56

| title8 = Thursday Girl

| length8 = 3:08

| title9 = A Loving Feeling

| length9 = 1:32

| title10 = Crack Baby

| length10 = 4:52

| title11 = A Burning Hill

| length11 = 1:49

| total_length = 31:25

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Japanese CD bonus tracks{{cite web |url=http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/HSE-6090 |title=Puberty 2 Mitski CD Album |work=CDJapan |access-date=August 24, 2018}}

| title12 = Fireproof

| writer12 = {{hlist|Louis Tomlinson|Liam Payne|John Ryan|Jamie Scott|Julian Bunetta}}

| length12 = 1:49

| title13 = I'm a Fool to Want You

| writer13 = {{hlist|Jack Wolf|Joel Herron|Frank Sinatra}}

| length13 = 3:49

| total_length = 37:03

}}

• Mitski – music, performance, album art
• Patrick Hyland – production, performance, mastering, photographs

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|relyear=2016|certyear=2025|title=Puberty 2|artist=Mitski|type=album|award=Silver|id=20731-6002-2|access-date=January 31, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Bottom | noshipments=true|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

{{reflist}}

• {{official website|mitski.com}}

{{Mitski}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2016 albums

Category:Dead Oceans albums

Category:Mitski albums