You'd think a bedroom-pop artist going at it for more than a decade now would sound at least slightly jaded, or even burnt-out, but Ariel Pink has kept the dark tones and sincere glee on Mature Themes, his second LP of 2012.

Pink's umpteenth album ditches the urgent anxiousness inherent to older recordings, giving these new songs a confident and carefree vibe. 2010's breakout Before Today now only seems like a transitional stage in Pink's career that set the stage for the more polished aesthetic of new material to come.

This time around, there’s less of the filler that bogged down Pink’s previous albums. Each song serves a purpose, albeit sometimes a goofy or mindless one. There’s also plenty of variety here. "Early Birds of Babylon" and “Driftwood” resemble L.A. lo-fi compatriot John Maus’ dark-wave post-punk, while "Only in My Dreams" could almost be a Flying Burrito Brothers song. Closing out the album with “Baby,” a loving take on the Donnie & Joe Emerson soul gem, only sweetens the deal. All in all, this is easily Ariel Pink’s best album yet.