No one can look past the ethereal, warm and flowing feeling of Mitski’s “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We.” The Indie rock singer released her new album Sept. 15 while on the brink of retirement from the music industry. But Mitski is back, and her genius and passion are unveiled on the album that reveals her rejuvenation.
“I need to take all of the good that comes with the bad,” Mitski said, and her decision to make music her career is shown throughout “Inhospitable” in which her feeling of acceptance seeps into every song.
Dread, resentment, anguish, regret, acceptance — these themes cycle throughout. Mitski starts off strong with her pre-release single “Bug Like an Angel,” in which she opens up about her own alcoholism and how drinking can become a comfort if it is constantly presented to you.
Flooding memories and feelings of remorse — Mitski delves deep within herself in “When Memories Snow.” Displaying a dreadful, almost eerie piano melody accompanied by a choir, the song focuses your attention on what it’s like to be constantly bolstered with feelings you want to escape from.
The tone that’ll make you sink deep in the ground with “The Deal” and “I Don’t Like My Mind” is notable. These songs bring out her angst and self-reflection and show raw emotion in her vocals. Despite comforting undertones in the melodies, the lyrics show she can make them into polar opposites.
Her insane talent for lyricism comes through in one of the popular tracks, “My Love Mine All Mine.” In this song, she realizes the love she shares with people, and for herself, is the most precious thing she can own. This concept of love continues in “I Love Me After You” and both tracks can be considered a breath of fresh air for the artist.
Mitski has a knack for touching deep within her value of self-worth and spreading it to others. She also brings different narratives and warmth into her songwriting, presented perfectly on the tracks “I’m Your Man” and “Buffalo Replaced.” Both highlight a narrative in which self-doubt toward your lover can invade your thoughts, and Mitski integrates a vengeance theme as she takes herself back from whatever hurt she has been through. Ending “I’m Your Man” with cicadas, white noise and barking also showcases a consistent theme of nature on this track.
“Heaven,” “Star” and “The Frost” are the most interesting songs on the album. I see them connected, as they talk about someone Mitski once loved. Both begin with the feeling of being happy with your loved one, accepting the fact that the love wasn’t there to stay and realizing it is still something to be cherished.
Embedded narratives flow well from one to another on this album and make it worth the listen.
“The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We” was released through Mitski’s label Dead Oceans, and is available for $14.98 on CD, while also available on all music streaming services.
