Being labeled as “dream pop” too early in an artist’s career can be a death knell, at least ever since the genre reached its saturation point a few years ago, so when I say that Mitski’s beautiful “First Love/Late Spring” firmly falls into that camp, it’s only because it’s the best iteration I’ve heard since Victoria Legrand. One of my favorite things about the genre is its adaptability to any situation — it can take on a melancholic irony on a rainy New York street corner just as easily as it can soundtrack a joyride down the 405. “First Love/Late Spring” also plays with expectations: The guitars are just a little too crisp for its label and it fades away before committing to a climactic send-off. Mitski’s voice rises above all, sauntering in and begging, “One word from you and I would jump off this ledge I’m on, baby.” She pares back the idiosyncrasies from last year’s Retired From Sad, New Career In Business and provides a shimmering, refreshing take on a tired genre. Listen below.

Tour Dates:
5/30 Danbury, CT @ Heirloom Arts Theater
6/3 Woodbury, CT @ Woodbury Music Shop
6/4 Brooklyn, NY @ Death By Audio 
6/5 New Brunswick, NJ @ Cooler Ranch w/ Frankie Cosmos
6/6 Philadelphia, PA @ Golden Tea House w/ Frankie Cosmos
6/7 Baltimore, MD @ The Bahamas

Mitski will have a full-length out on Double Double Whammy in the fall.