Mitski’s musical journey has always been an odd one to me. She started with smooth singer-songwriter balladry, then transitioned to noisy slacker-rock, then to chaotic new wave.
All of this bouncing around through genres might throw most people off, but for me — I see it as someone trying to fit into her skin — one that is constantly changing.
On Friday, Sept. 15, Mitski dropped her seventh full-length record, “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We.”
The album is a step up from Mitski’s previous two efforts and her best record since the beautifully cathartic “Puberty 2” — released in 2016.
The album starts with the first single, “Bug Like an Angel,” a seemingly guitar-driven track that transforms into a booming gospel, overtaking the audience with a new feeling that a Mitski record has never produced for me before — awe and wonder.
Track three, “Heaven,” is a waltz-like ballad with a country twang, incorporating strings and flutes to create a serene atmosphere.
According to Mitski’s Bandcamp write-up, “The album incorporates an orchestra arranged and conducted by Drew Erickson, as well as a full choir of 17 people.”
This incorporation of chamber instrumentation and vocals is a step in the right direction for Mitski, who in her last two projects, opted for a more electronic sound, which did not pan out entirely in her favor.
The stripped-back, guitar-led sections paired with incredibly dense orchestral parts make a much more sonically mature Mitski — a change that I was super excited to hear unfold.
The beautiful “My Love Mine All Mine” tackles themes of self-love and what we, as people, truly want out of life.
“’Cause my love is mine, all mine/I love, mine, mine, mine/Nothing in the world belongs to me/But my love, mine, all mine, all mine,” Mitski croons.
This is not the first time Mitski has given us lyrics that deal with topics like this. However, when paired with incredibly smooth instrumentation, they tend to pack more of a punch this time around.
The penultimate track, “I’m Your Man,” is arguably Mitski’s most powerful song written to date. The song features a solemn guitar, subtle drum work, a deep-voiced chorus and dogs barking in the background near the end of the track — with that “dog” motif being a key part of the song in multiple ways. “You’re an angel, I’m a dog/Or you’re a dog and I’m your man,” Mitski sings.
She also sings about “hounds” in the song, saying that she will “meet judgment” by them. Mitski paints a picture of doom in this track — it is somber, bittersweet and just like what makes her previous work so powerful — it is poetic.
While the album is stunning, at times it does not feel like a complete and thought-out work conceptually and thematically, which makes sense given that the album was written in chunks and bursts over the past few years — according to Mitski’s Bandcamp page.
The songs on “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” feel like little blurbs of Mitski’s past mixed with how she views herself in the present, yet there is no grand theme or message that would make this anthology connect or be consistent.
Despite this, I cannot state enough the impact that Mitski has on her audience — including myself. These songs are incredibly powerful. I can see songs like “The Deal” and “I’m Your Man” standing among all-time Mitski classics like “First Love/Late Spring” and “I Bet on Losing Dogs.”
Mitski, now stronger and more confident sounding than ever, could proudly hang up the mantle of “sad girl queen” if she wanted to, but it does not seem like she will anytime soon.
She said it best herself in an interview with NME, “what it came down to was, I have to [continue making music] even though it hurts me because I love it. This is who I am.”
Rating: 4/5 stars
