A post shared by Song Exploder (@songexploder) on Aug 29, 2018 at 9:30am PDT

Mitski has been making records since 2012. Her newest record, Puberty 2, came out in June 2016, and was critically acclaimed. Pitchfork gave it Best New Music status. Her music has been featured in the television show Adventure Time. In this episode, Mitski breaks down her song “Your Best American Girl,” along with her long-time collaborator Patrick Hyland.

You can buy “Your Best American Girl”on iTunes or Bandcamp.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
“Your Best American Girl” video

Tom Fec, aka Tobacco, has released four albums since 2008. He’s also the frontman of the band Black Moth Super Rainbow, and he created the theme music for the HBO show Silicon Valley. In this episode, Tom breaks down his song “Gods in Heat” from his newest album, Sweatbox Dynasty, recorded entirely on cassette.

You can buy “Gods In Heat” on iTunes and Bandcamp.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
Ildjarn – “Himmelhvelv”
Butthole Surfers – “Birds”
“Silicon Valley” Opening Titles

Singer/songwriter Andra Day put out her first record in August 2015. Since then, she’s been invited by the Obamas to perform at the White House on multiple occasions, and the record was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B album. In this episode, Andra breaks down her song “Forever Mine” along with the track’s producer, Rob Kleiner.

You can buy “Forever Mine” on iTunes.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

footnotes
The Flamingos – “I Only Have Eyes For You”
Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones (Part II)”
The “Forever Mine” video (directed by Spike Lee):