By: Graham Reid

Staff Writer 

Arguably one of the most influential and experimental artists of the modern age, Ariel Pink has come a long way since his days of recording hymns onto cassettes directly out of his room in the late 90’s. For the past decade, fans have seen him rapidly gain notoriety in the realm of alternative music. Unfortunately for Pink, his career has proved to be an unpredictable rollercoaster. Whether it was his critically acclaimed release of The Doldrums back at the turn of the century, or his emotional breakdown on stage at Coachella in 2011, Ariel Pink has always maintained noticeable eccentricity within his music.

Luckily, there was a sense of newfound hope in Pink’s career subsequent to his release of Before Today. People finally heard more than just a raw cluster of ambient noises, and acquired a collection of songs that were thoughtfully mastered by this zany artist. After the much-anticipated release and success of the album, a decline was highly anticipated by his critics. In the months that followed, even his listeners wondered whether he would produce another gem in the rough. Ariel Pink took the industry by surprise, unexpectedly releasing a follow up album that’s been two years in the making; with even more cadence and flow when compared to Before Today. Mature Themes disregards his earlier work when gritty, erratic, and occasionally monotonous, melodies were what defined him.

In no way, though, is there an enhanced sound of predictability featured in Mature Themes. Ariel Pink, as always, provides a more than impalpable array of songs that somehow prove to be rhythmically balanced and catchy. Specifically,  driftwood and baby hardly resemble the crude and untamed music constantly produced by Pink in the past; which not only justifies the fact that his music has finally been diversified, but hints at the idea that Ariel Pink has matured into the aberrant musician that fans have been yearning for. Mature Themes may pose as an acquired taste at first listen, but upon further investigation of the man behind the abstract project that is Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, it is hard to find disinterest in the capricious, yet alluring sound that he conveys.