The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

New Music Monday: Mitski

By Dave Sanford April 6, 2015

new music monday mitski — Image used with permission by copyright holder

New York-based Mitski’s third album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek, has cut through the spring showers to make a stark emotional dent. An affecting performance in the rain at SXSW this year did just that, bringing Rolling Stone to call Mitski the “Best Case of Schizophrenia”, and listening to the stirring progression that is Bury Me at Makeout Creek, it’s easy to understand why. A master of the classic eighties and nineties “quiet-loud” dynamic, Mitski lulls you in with a volatile, dreamy lullaby, only to cascade into deep rips of noise and feeling.

The result is an enticing departure from Mitski’s previous work. While studying composition at SUNY Purchase’s music conservatory, she recorded with a full orchestra. And although she’s traded in the intricate string arrangements for guitar and bass, there remains a distinctly orchestral feel to Mitski’s waves of sound, from guttural screams to airy vocal slides and folksy balladeering.

Although radically diverse in tone, there’s a unifying thread that ties Bury Me At Makeout Creek together, and that’s a sly but assured pop-punk sensibility. Withheld at times and blatant at others, a studied love of pop-punk sounds informs the in-your-face lyrics, the slow lead-up to a driving guitar riff, and the euphoria and catharsis of its loudest moments. Although at times the sound seems more reminiscent of traditional folk, post-punk, or classic rock, there’s a gentle thread of nineties pop-punk that holds the diverse sounds of Bury Me At Makeout Creek together in one affecting, raw, satisfying package.

Bury Me At Makeout Creek has been met with international acclaim for its distinct, arresting sound and profoundly reflective lyrics. The wistfulness and anger intertwined in the lyrics will stay with you long after your first listen, as will the cathartic and catchy bursts that link the album together.

Mitski’s Bury Me at Makeout Creek is available now through Amazon, iTunes, and Bandcamp.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Snowsports

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Culture

Will the new sports streaming service from Disney, Fox, and WBD mean you can finally cut the cord for good?

Is this the ultimate sports streamer?

The Washington Commanders take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Aside from the NFL's Super Bowl, the big story of the month is a new sports streaming service coming from three of the major studios: Walt Disney Company, Fox Corp, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The new streamer will combine content from Disney's ESPN and ABC, Fox Sports, and WBD's TNT and TBS for a one-stop service that features NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college football, and NCAA March Madness, FIFA World Cup, three Grand Slam tennis events, UFC, Formula 1, and NASCAR.

On the surface, it sounds like the ideal cable killer that sports fans and cord-cutters have been waiting for years to see. And it will likely hasten the departure of a significant amount of subscribers who have only stuck with cable for the sports channels. However, there are several questions that remain, which even the three partner studios haven't fully addressed yet. And we're going to dive into some of those issues now.

Culture

Everything we know about Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, including trailers and cast updates

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire details

Godzilla and Kong running together.

Now that Godzilla and King Kong have teamed up, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire promises to continue building on Legendary's MonsterVerse. Now that we've gotten our first look at the film in a new trailer, interest in the sequel is growing. Although the trailer makes it clear that Godzilla and Kong are going to be fighting on the same side this time, and it suggests that Godzilla may unleash some new powers, there's still plenty about the new movie that we don't yet know. Will this be one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever? Only time will tell. In the meantime, here's everything we know about Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, including its trailers and who is in the cast.

What is Godzilla x Kong about?
Most people do not go to Godzilla movies for the plot, but Legendary has released its official description nonetheless:
The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of “Godzilla vs. Kong” with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.
While it seems like Godzilla and Kong will team up in the new film, it also sounds like the film will be diving deeper into the lore of this universe. While most people are likely coming to these movies for sheer spectacle, there may be some who are into the notion of learning more about the origins of this particular version of the universe.

Culture

Apple’s new journaling app is here, and it’s great, but we have one major problem with it

Apple's new journaling app finally arrives

Apple journal app against blue background

Apple's new journaling app, Journal, promises Apple users an easier way to record and organize their thoughts, experiences, and memories. There's just one thing we can't wrap our head around — it's only available for iPhone users, meaning you can't get it on a Mac.

While being able to jot down your thoughts on the go is convenient, limiting Journal to iPhones isn't merely an accessibility issue. For many, journaling is a way to escape the distractions of their devices and engage in reflective, mindful writing. With a phone in hand, notifications are hard to ignore, and tapping out entries on a tiny screen feels like a chore compared to the flow of pen on paper or the rhythm of keys.