Retired from Sad, New Career in Business is the second album by American musician Mitski. Mitski recorded the project in 2013 while studying music at State University of New York at Purchase. The album was her senior project and featured a 60-piece student orchestra.[2] Every song on the album was accompanied by a music video, each video playing a part in an ongoing story,[3] making it a visual album. In summer 2020, the track "Strawberry Blond" gained popularity on the social media app TikTok, specifically in the cottagecore community.[4]
| Retired from Sad, New Career in Business | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Orchestral pop[1] | |||
| Length | 23:54 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Mitski chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
editRetired from Sad, New Career in Business received praise for its blend of "out-of-the-norm orchestral sounds with electronics and 'found' sounds".[3] In a career retrospective following Mitski's 2018 studio album Be the Cowboy, Jesse Herb of Atwood Magazine said that the album "completely highlights Mitski's writing growth in just one year, and also her impeccable composition" and that the album "could be in an off-broadway musical." Herb singled out "Shame", "Circle", and "Strawberry Blond" in particular, saying that the latter "feels like a lost Dar Williams record".[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Mitski
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart" | 2:17 |
| 2. | "Square" | 3:10 |
| 3. | "Strawberry Blond" | 1:54 |
| 4. | "Humpty" | 3:21 |
| 5. | "I Want You" | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Shame" | 2:24 |
| 7. | "Because Dreaming Costs Money, My Dear" | 3:05 |
| 8. | "Circle" | 2:51 |
| 9. | "Class of 2013" | 1:49 |
| Total length: | 23:54 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart" | 2:17 |
| 2. | "Shame" | 2:24 |
| 3. | "Because Dreaming Costs Money, My Dear" | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Humpty" | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Circle" | 2:51 |
| 6. | "I Want You" | 3:03 |
| 7. | "Square" | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Strawberry Blond" | 1:54 |
| 9. | "Class of 2013" | 1:49 |
| 10. | "Square" (solo piano version) | 3:10 |
| 11. | "Shame" (Jammin' Out Solo version) | 2:33 |
| Total length: | 29:40 | |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from Bandcamp.[8]
- Mitski – songwriting, vocals, piano, drums
- Trevor Fedele – recording engineer
- Patrick Hyland – recording engineer, mixing engineer, mastering engineer
- Will Prinzi – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass
- Mike Rasimas – drums
- Scott Interrante – orchestrations
- Sean Mcverry – gang vocals
- Eli Wolf-Christensen – gang vocals, mandolin
- Kenneth "Kenny" Trotter – violin
- Sarah Wolffe – violin
- Michael Mandrin – violin
- Sophie Dolamore – viola
- Naseer François Ashraf – viola
- Elise Linder – cello
- Pete Olynciw – upright bass
- Kevin Schmid – upright bass
- Julie Yeaeun Lee – flute
- Andrew Cowie – clarinet, bass clarinet
- John Cummings – trumpet
- Jerome Burns – trumpet, cornet
- Rich Liverano – trombone
- Cristian Uraga – french horn
- Pixel (as Pixie Doll) – cover model
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Sutliff, Amileah Sutliff (July 26, 2018). "A Mitski Primer". Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Mitski - Artist Biography & Discography". Allmusic. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ a b Interrante, Scott. "Mitski: "Retired from Sad, New Career in Business"". The Absolute Mag. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ Spellings, Sarah (August 12, 2020). "How Did This Dress Get So Popular in a Pandemic?". Vogue. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ Herb, Jesse (19 October 2018). "FROM 'LUSH' TO 'BE THE COWBOY': ALONG FOR THE RIDE OF MITSKI'S EVOLUTION". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Retired from Sad, New Career in Business - Mitski". Apple Music. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "Retired from Sad, New Career in Business". Spotify. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
- ^ "Retired from Sad, New Career in Business". Bandcamp. Retrieved September 5, 2020.