Be the Cowboy is the fifth studio album by American indie rock musician Mitski, released on August 17, 2018, through Dead Oceans. Produced by longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland, the album widens Mitski's palette with a return to the piano featured on her first two records alongside synthesizers, horns and the guitar that became her signature instrument. Upon its release, Be the Cowboy received widespread acclaim from music critics, who later ranked it among the best albums of 2018. It was preceded by the singles "Geyser", "Nobody", and "Two Slow Dancers". Be the Cowboy was Mitski's first album to chart on the Billboard 200, and also entered the charts in Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Writing and recording In a statement, Mitski said she experimented in narrative and fiction for the album, and said she was inspired by "the image of someone alone on a stage, singing solo with a single spotlight trained on them in an otherwise dark room." She recorded the album with longtime producer Patrick Hyland, and stated that "for most of the tracks, we didn't layer the vocals with doubles or harmonies, to achieve that campy 'person singing alone on stage' atmosphere." She also said the album is about her reconnecting with her feelings: "I had been on the road for a long time, which is so isolating, and had to run my own business at the same time. A lot of this record was me not having any feelings, being completely spent but then trying to rally myself and wake up and get back to Mitski."

Composition Be The Cowboy has been characterized as a "genre-defying" pop, pop-punk, indie rock, art pop, electrowave, disco, and alt-pop record, with elements of rock, chamber pop, funk, synth-pop, punk, techno-surf, country rock, and Eurodisco.

Release and promotion The album was made available for pre-order on May 14, 2018, without prior announcement. "Geyser" was released as the lead single from the album on the same day along with a music video directed by Zia Anger, who also directed the music video for "Your Best American Girl" from Puberty 2 (2016). The song was previously performed in 2014 on WNYU Radio and Hampshire College. On June 26, Mitski released "Nobody" as the second single alongside a music video directed by Christopher Good which was shot over five days in Kansas City. The third and final single to precede the album, "Two Slow Dancers", was released on August 9.

In support of the album, Mitski embarked on a tour including North American and European legs called Be the Cowboy Tour.

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Be the Cowboy received an average score of 87, based on 30 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Critics praised Mitski's ability to deftly move from the personal lyrics on her previous album Puberty 2 to more conceptual themes. AllMusic writer Marcy Donelson stated that "rather than being a disappointment, Be the Cowboys point of view provides a brilliant twist, one that channels all the unease, unpredictability, and intuitiveness of Mitski's previous work—even for those who don't take in the lyrics." Laura Snapes similarly commended the album in a review for The Guardian; "Mitski's songwriting trademarks are strong enough to transcend the stylistic revamp – arrangements that are rich without being precious (Pink in the Night), plus her terrifically mordant worldview."

Pitchforks Quinn Moreland called the album Mitski's greatest to date, stating that "she's never sounded so large, even in the record's quietest moments." Rolling Stones Will Hermes wrote, "There may be nothing explicitly political in the songs on Be the Cowboy. But there's plenty implicit, from the DIY American mythology of the title, to the way the songs validate voices that are shaky, hurting, irrational, and damaged, while also being smart, wry, powerful, and deserving of love." The A.V. Club critic Katie Rife said, "Although Be The Cowboy sees Mitski fully transformed from her lo-fi beginnings in terms of production, her post-Pixies guitar-rock tendencies still come through strong, albeit now more lush and kaleidoscopic than buzzing and raucous." Sarah Murphy from Exclaim! applauded the album, saying "The album is all the more impressive because her words and music are meticulously calculated, expertly arranged and still filled with feeling."

Accolades +Year-end lists Publication Accolade Rank Billboard 50 Best Albums of 2018 11 Consequence of Sound The Top 50 Albums of 2018 1 Entertainment Weekly 20 Best Albums of 2018 4 Flavorwire The 25 Best Albums of 2018 12 Flood Magazine The Best Albums of 2018 1 Fopp 100 Best Albums of 2018 46 The Independent The 40 Best Albums of 2018 24 The Line of Best Fit The Best Albums of 2018 1 The New York Times The 28 Best Albums of 2018 2 Noisey The 100 Best Albums of 2018 34 Now The 10 Best Albums of 2018 5 NPR The 50 Best Albums of 2018 2 Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2018 6 Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2018 1 The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s 64 Refinery29 The 10 Best Albums of 2018 8 The Skinny Top 50 Albums of 2018 3 Slant Magazine The 25 Best Albums of 2018 7 Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2018 10 Time The 10 Best Albums of 2018 3 Uproxx The 50 Best Albums of 2018 39 Vulture The 15 Best Albums of 2018 1 The Village Voice Pazz & Jop: The Top 100 Albums of 2018 3 The Guardian The 50 best albums of 2018 5 Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2018 14 +Award nominations Year Awards Category Result Ref. 2019 Grammy Award Best Recording Package Libera Awards Album of the Year Best Rock Album Creative Packaging

Track listing

Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Be the Cowboy. Mitski – performance Patrick Hyland – performance, saxophone solo Philly Phatness – horns Thor Espanez Ian Gray Vince Tampio Evan Marien – bass Ted Jensen – mastering Ryan Smith – lacquer cutting Mary Banas – album design Bao Ngo – photography Carl Knight – lighting Annika White – styling Marika Aoki – makeup

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Be the Cowboy Chart (2018–2021) Peak positionAustralia (ARIA Hitseekers)4 Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) 29

Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for Be the Cowboy Chart (2022) Position Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) 67

Certifications

Release history Region Date Label Format Various August 16, 2018 Dead Oceans August 17, 2018 Digital download

References

External links