Mitski, a 33 year old indie rock artist released her new album “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” on September 15, 2023. The album contains 11 songs and is just over 32 minutes long. This newest album is her 7th studio album, the last one being released in 2022. Mitski is a very notable musician in the indie rock scene ever since her first album “Lush” in 2012 leading to her devoted fan base who has been following her for decades. Every song she has ever put out she has written herself as stated in the song credits shown. Her first song she had ever written is on her album “Lush” called “Bag of Bones” when she was 16 years old and is a fan favorite due to the beautiful and such deep lyrics she sings.
This recent album however compared to her other albums has been brought into the mainstream with the song “My Love Mine All Mine” being on the Hot 100 charts for over 10 weeks. In fact this song is quickly becoming her most famous song, almost surpassing the tiktok viral “Washing Machine Heart” by nine thousand streams on spotify. The overall feel of this album leans more into the indie country genre but has found much relatability in the lyrics. Themes that can be found in this album can include mental health, solitude, alcoholism, religion, and romance. Over the years she has been known to be experimental in the structure she writes her music in and how short her songs can be. Once in an interview she said she doesn’t intentionally let songs go on repeating, ending them short once her message in the song is over. Throughout the albums Mitski tends to differ each sound with the instrumental from her earliest albums being orchestral to later one being band then synths. On this album Mitsi seems to go back to the orchestra feel bringing one in to play live in many of the songs on this new album
Song breakdowns-
The first song “Bug Like an Angel” tells a story of her drinking the last drops from her glass and noticing a bug stuck under it and perceiving it as an angel. In this song she brings out a church-like choir to emphasize how drinking plays a role in her life such as family and the breaking of promises. It seems that there are also themes of religion in the song describing how the faults in her were god given just like anything else. To me I interpret this song as her drinking to cope with the breaking of promises she has made inferred by the lecture she seems to give during the song of her learning that lesson and to “take her advice”, as well as trying to justify herself with religion and her belief that she cannot change.
In the second song “Buffalo Replace” you can definitely hear the country aspects of this album come out and with the title re-enforcing the album name of destroying the land. The song starts off with the narrator being outside hearing a “freight train” stampeding where buffalos used to which to me is referencing the building of the railroads back in America’s history leading to the near extinction of the animals native to that space. Mitski then goes on to personify her hope describing her as blind with no name and how it would be easier on her if she didn’t have hope but ultimately feels comfort in feeling it. Then ending this song with how the freight train replaced the buffalos. My interpretation of this song is that the lyrics are pretty straight forward in expressing how the modernization of society has led to the decrease and almost complete replacement of nature.
The third song on the album “Heaven” is more on the brighter note with the bringing in of the strings such as violins, cellos, violas, etc. She begins the song with the love she is feeling overtaking her and being heard in heaven, yet another reference to religion perhaps describing that love as pure and holy. Mitski then goes on to describe how when she thinks of this other person she swoons, taking in what they have left to feel them once they are gone like drinking their leftover coffee and describing that experience as heaven. The ending of this song leaves off with her wanting to stay with this other person even when things are waiting for them around the corner. This song is truly beautiful and to me is about the love and admiration she feels.
Fourth song on this album “I Don’t Like My Mind” definitely leans more into the themes of solitude in this album starting off with her expressing how she doesn’t like her mind or being left alone. It seems that she isn’t in control of her mind and the involuntary acts of bringing up shameful memories when she’s not being distracted. This sentiment I feel can relate to many and their own struggles and is perfectly put in her words. She describes a scene of her eating a whole cake then becoming sick because of it and listening to music to escape that memory. However that attempt is not permanent because those kinds of memories to her will stay for years waiting to attack her when she is alone and off guard. In this song what I can get from it is the attempt of anything and anyone to get her away from these memories she is forced to relive constantly because she can’t let go of them only prolonging her run from them.
The fifth song on this album is “The Deal ” that starts off with describing the deal itself as a walk at night then hearing a voice asking what the person wants and what they will give up. Mitsiki responds to this voice asking to give up her soul in return for nothing for all she seeks in the comfort of not having to deal with the burden of it accepting what her life will be as an empty vessel. She then gets no response and starts to retreat but stopping her is a bird telling her that they are gone and will no longer hear them sing, for the pain that Mitski holds is gone but now her soul is gone with the night. The bird itself represents Mitski’s soul and how she got what she wanted but now she is left empty not knowing which is worse feeling the weight of a soul or nothing at all. That to me is the moral question and interpretation of the song, that question of living with the bad feeling or nothing at all and which is preferable.
In the sixth song “When Memories Snow” really connects back to the overall message of “I Don’t Like My Mind” of looking back on the past and the memories that haunt it. Mitski uses the metaphor of memories being snow and when leaving her house needing to “clear a path” in her driveway to get out. Presenting memories as a real physical object such as snow and weathering to me show how she has no control over it like she does with real weather and the physical struggle it causes her to perform tasks such as leaving her how to the market. At the end of the song the instrumental pumps up with her ending the song rehearsing speeches in front of her memories as they clap for her. I personally interpret that last part as the memories being her audience when she tries to think to herself.
The seventh song on the album is the hit “My love Mine All Mine” once again relating to another song in terms of themes on this album, “Heaven”. Overall this song is about how in a person’s lifetime nothing, no material possessions are truly theirs but the love they have towards others and things. Mitski in the song asks the moon to keep her love on earth once she’s gone as a way to honor the people she loved. To Mitski the way she loved was truly hers and no one else’s. This song is a hit for a reason, it is truly relaxing and heartwarming.
Eighth song on the album is “The Frost” and in this song world Mitski seems to be all alone unsure if she’s hiding or was left behind. The narrator in the song seems to be sad about how what they have witnessed, the beauty of silence and absence of people can’t be shared with anyone. Then verse and her last one is directed to the listener as if we were her best friend as that is what she refers to us as and how she lost her best friend and can’t tell anyone that because she has no one left leaving her truly alone with nobody to even witness her loneliness. To me this song is truly heartbreaking with the earlier songs coming to me such and the memories coming to her now that she’s alone like stated in “I Don’t Like My Mind”. The song also leaves me with the scene of being completely alone and losing your best friend leaving you with no one to talk about that which is such a sad sentiment and Mitski describes that world perfectly.
The ninth song “Star” seems to be about an old love still being cherished even though it’s long been over. The love seems to live on like a star, far burning from leftover light showing how Mitski still belongs to that person to be adored even with the relationship being over. The author in my opinion holds comfort in the remaining memory of the relationship because it was a pivotal moment in her life that will always be remembered.
The tenth song on the album is called “I’m Your Man” refers to religion again describing a person as an angel and her like a dog then backtracking to better explain their relationship as the other person as a dog and herself as the other person’s man. In this song she thinks of herself breaking down this other person who loves her more than anyone else and now that the person is gone Mitski is not holding any purpose. In the song it is reference to her being in the wrong and someone being after her to hold her accountable while no one knows her true intentions and just judging her. It is to be assumed that what went down wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own. My interpretation of this song is that even when someone loves you very much it doesn’t dissolve you from any wrongdoing or mistakes and that people can leave even if they love you.
The last song on the album is “I Love Me After You”. This song seems to be about a self care journey of Mitski accepting herself and cleaning herself up now that a person has left, leaving her in charge of herself again. She is no longer ashamed of herself and lets others see her freely now that she expresses ownership of herself again. This is a very nice song to end off this album with, a win for Mitski after all the problems and issues that had been following her being put to a rest.
This album was not only one of Mitski’s best works but one of the best alternative albums of the year. I strongly recommend this to all different listeners because in my personal opinion this album was a 10/10. It left me with a lot of pondering and an appreciation for Mitski’s genius lyricism and the song’s production. This album is 100% worth anyone’s time listening to.
