Two Slow Dancers is Mitski's most magical work

Be The Cowboy was Mitski’s first album that saw her soar through the ceiling of the music industry. With its strong emotional messages on past love and personal turmoil she struck a chord with the alternative music community. For me this entire album’s heart can be summarised in the closing song “Two Slow Dancers”.  

It is a song with the narrative of two former teenage lovers meeting together in their old school gymnasium to share one last dance to remember how they were. But as the song progresses with the help of stunning string arrangements chiming in to create the effect of a twinkling prom dancefloor and swelling synth sounds that play on that nostalgic feeling – we realise that things are not “the same”.  

Mitski’s vocals are ethereal in this track. They sound nothing short of magical. You really believe you're there watching these two people waltz around the room while crowds suddenly disappear into the night leaving them there. The way that the keys at the end drag out for almost too long just adds to this desperation for the night to not end - because things will just go back to the way they were. Mitski says in a press release for the album back in 2018 “they’re trying to relive it in a dance, knowing that they’ll have to go home and go back to their lives.” It is a very suitable yet solemn end to the album and I recommend you listen to it if you are fond of other popular artists such as Elliot Smith, Fiona Apple and Crumb.