Rolling Stone - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here's plenty implicit, from the DIY American mythology of the title, to the way the songs validate voices that are shaky, hurting, irrational, and damaged, while also being smart, wry, powerful, and deserving of love." Spin - "'Pink in the Night' is among the most unabashedly romantic songs out this year, all blossoms and swooning and euphoric pink glow, delivered to someone's turned back." Spin - Included in Spin's "The 51 Best Albums of 2018" -- "The concision and universality of Mitski's music and lyrics are reminiscent of American Songbook ballads, sketching vague scenes into which listeners can easily insinuate their own misadventures." Entertainment Weekly - "On her bold and cacophonous fifth album, the Japanese-American singer-songwriter aims for something different: sadness, yes, but also the growth that one experiences in its aftermath..." NME (Magazine) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[W]hile BE THE COWBOY hears Mitski traverse new sounds, new voices, and the anxieties of growing older, it's clear the wisdom was already there." Paste (magazine) - "Whether she's singing about herself or creating stand-ins that feel just like real people, BE THE COWBOY shows why she is fast making herself into one of the most interesting songwriters of her generation." Pitchfork (Website) - "The fifth album from the singular songwriter is her greatest to date. From the music to her emotions, Mitski has the power to make the complex seem dazzlingly clear." Clash (Magazine) - "Instrumentally, this is the richest and most ambitious Mitski has ever sounded. The gargantuan opener 'Geyser' is a towering monolith of bursting percussion and fuzz-laden guitars..."