Ariel Pink is one weird guy.

Born Ariel Rosenberg, Pink is widely known for his Haunted Graffiti project, dropped its latest album, “Mature Themes,” Aug. 20. An L.A. native and alumni of the famous Beverly Hills High School, Pink was essentially discovered in 2003 after he passed his home-recorded CD’s over to the members of Animal Collective, who, unbeknownst to him, were in the midst of creating their own record company. Weeks later, Pink was signed to Paw Tracks Records.

Pink soon rose in indie fame, re-releasing his self-released albums and utilizing old tracks within new records. He became known for his eclectic nature, once famously refusing to sing “Fright Night” live while his background singers continued. Often booed on stage, Pink maintains that his music was not intended to be performed live. Pink is not controversial simply for the sake of creating controversy; rather, he is merely honest with his thoughts and feelings.

I was introduced to Ariel Pink after the 2010 release of “Before Today” — the album warranted a nine out of 10 from Pitchfork, and “Round and Round” was top on their list of best tracks of the year. The Haunted Graffiti sound is distinctive: an extremely low-fidelity psychedelic rock, easily mistaken for being straight out of 1978.

Pink is still capable of creating beautifully cheesy, early ’80s pop songs, and “Mature Themes” fits perfectly within his discography and my personal archetype of how an Ariel Pink album sounds. The album is the first Ariel Pink album that consists solely of new material; each previous album contains work that was previously recorded in Pink’s early twenties. Regardless, much of the album is reminiscent of pre-“Before Today” albums – although perhaps the time-warp of the Haunted Graffiti sound makes comparing the album with previous works difficult. Ironically, “Mature Themes” is quite immature: the lyrics joke about sex and odd ideas like an adolescent.

“I think I’ve been lucky enough to have had an extended adolescence,” Pink told The Observer. “I’m a lot like I was when I was 15.”

Since his more popular introduction into the music scene, Pink has become an inspiration for homebound musicians, further popularizing the low-fi production sound. The end of the Haunted Graffiti legacy, however, is undoubtedly impending: Pink, now in his mid-thirties, admits rock and roll is of and for the youth culture. He is an artist, weirdo, and recluse – qualities that are relevant across all rebellious generations. Paired with his music from some unknown era, Ariel Pink has become a sort of Cobain-esque figure within today’s indie pop culture.
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