Be the Cowboy

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". Accolades ==Track listing==

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 Year-end charts ==Certifications==