Released November 11th, 2014, Japanese singer-songwriter Mitski put out an album that had an overly positive reaction from the public. Mitski had introduced the album as more “concert friendly”, and started performing her new songs shortly after release. The album is classified as indie rock, and is very different sounding from her first 2 albums. Previously, she strictly played piano and other orchestral instruments, but for this album she focused more on guitar. In fact, she specifically learned guitar for this album. During the release of this album, she would perform with an electric pink bass on stage. Her fans mention this bass constantly, leaving sentimental comments about it on stage with the singer.

Having only 10 songs, the album tells an entire love story throughout the seasons. Mitski finds love during the beginning of the spring season and it spirals into becoming distant and nearing its end in the winter. The metaphorical meaning behind the seasons is the changes of emotion over time. Spring symbolizes innocence and purity, like how the start of the relationship was. It was fresh, and they were in what many people call, the “honeymoon stage”. The changing of the season from spring to summer represents the change of emotions in the relationship. This is when the relationship starts to simmer down and Mitski and her partner start to feel different. Mitski expresses through her lyrics that she knows the love is hurting her around these moments of change, but she doesn’t want to be left alone, and would rather be hurt with this person than be without them. In the song, “I Don’t Smoke”, she says, “You can lean on my arm as you break my heart.”

The relationship then hits its close near the midpoint of winter. Through the song, “Carry me Out”, Mitski writes about falling out of love, so, it can be inferred that this song was written close to the end of the relationship. The theme of seasons, specifically Spring, is seen to be prevalent throughout the album. The entire storyline is expressed in only 10 songs, which is very impressive and endearing. The album can be very relatable for most individuals in the world, making it perfect for them. Despite this, Mitski’s work is extremely underrated and not given the attention it deserves. Bury Me at Makeout Creek remains her best work to date.