10 Best Pop Albums Of 2018

10. Mitski - Be The Cowboy

There was a lot that could have gone wrong with Mitski's latest album. After breaking through to the mainstream with her last couple of releases, "Be the Cowboy" is the first LP to fully embrace the larger, more refined production style that's been creeping its way into the artist's music for years now.

Fortunately, this ground-up stylistic revamp has only liberated Mitski from a creative standpoint, leaving listeners with an album that's home to some of the peppiest pop arrangements of the year, but all of which serve to leave you a haunted, emotional wreck. That's partly because Mitski's endearing perspective is still at the heart of each track, once again unafraid to revel in genuine feelings rather than hide behind layers of irony and wit.

From the nervous grandiosity of opener Geyser to the intimate, personal longing of closer Two Slow Dancers, "Be the Coyboy" is nothing short of an uneasy emotional journey that makes you feel like you're being noticed in a large crowd, for better or worse.