There's a reason almost all of the shows on Mitski's recent tour with Japanese Breakfast and Jay Som have sold out. Her energy onstage is magnetic, electric and fascinating to say the least. From her early tours to now headlining bigger stages, Mitski puts her all into her vulnerable and passionate music and fixes the audience with a powerful stare, seemingly invincible but utterly human at the same time.

Mitski recently released her album 'Puberty 2' on Dead Oceans, and in her newest live sets you can hear nearly all of those standout tracks such as 'My Body's Made of Crushed Little Stars' along with songs from her breakout 2014 album Bury Me at Makeout Creek. Live, Mitski plays spare basslines while her lead guitarist Callan Dwan (who is also in Nashville psych-pop band Idle Bloom) shreds dirty and sludgy yet precise tones and drummer Casey Weissbuch (of Slanted and formerly Diarrhea Planet) provides minimal and quick drumbeats. Mitski could carry the show without them, such is her charisma and the strength of her voice, but her band adds the final layer of depth to her songs.

In this set from July 2015, Mitski says at one point, "I wrote all these songs, and now I'm playing them! It's a dream come true!" Mitski's frankness and honesty are part of what make her a captivating performer. Her songs on her records glow with life, but when performed live, they truly radiate. Take a listen to this essential set and catch Mitski on the road this summer - she is not to be missed.
-Julia Leiby