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6th June 2024Mitski is a vegan horror film fan who counts Butoh (a performance style developed postwar Japan), one of her influences which involves coaxing beauty out of chaos, among many others, among its performers as one.
American singer-songwriter Al Green’s seventh album Lush is an exploration of yearning. It examines our tendency to search for things we may or may not need.
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
Mitski has long been revered by young people, especially women and members of the LGBT community who see in her lyrics an indisputable humanity that goes beyond simple cliches. Mitski’s seventh album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We is an immersive musical journey which highlights essential facets of human experience.
Though this album‘s tone is dark and melancholic, it serves as a testament to resilience even during dire circumstances. Bug Like an Angel sets the mood perfectly by opening with guitar chords and echoy vocals before moving into its main theme of hopefulness and resilience.
Mitski successfully crafts her signature style into an engaging project on this album that’s rewarding from front-to-back, taking risks in production by exploring different soundscapes and genre-bending influences – creating a masterful and moving record which she describes as her most American. “This record feels like my greatest act of witnessing my country with all its private sorrows and painful contradictions.” Nonesuch Records now holds this release of Mitski’s work.
Bug Like an Angel
Mitski defies every Asian girl stereotype in terms of name, culture and behavior; her international upbringing and frequent calls outs against racism or ignorant men have helped keep her unclassifiable and off the radar. Mitski maintains this is by choice to remain uncategorizable.
Her songs are intimate, painterly vignettes filled with painterly symbolism that range from indie-rock squallers to ambient ballads and beyond. She sings about pain either with dry humor or genuine sadness – and rarely resolve the way one expects.
Mitski’s seventh and fourth Dead Oceans release was produced by her longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland and recorded at Bomb Shelter and Sunset Sound Studios in Nashville and Los Angeles. Following 2022’s Laurel Hell tour, which brought an orchestra arranged by Drew Erickson and 17-person choir arranged by Mitski herself on its release, Mitski’s new record features both types of arrangements; an exciting shift away from her previous synth-pop production style.
The Deal
Mitski’s lyrics examine existential themes of longing and willingness to surrender burdens. Her song mentions a deal, either between herself and a higher power or within herself, in which someone would take away her soul in exchange for relief and salvation. Mitski pleads, “Will somebody take this soul?” as her plea to release her soul is repeated several times throughout its length.
Her style of storytelling has made her a beloved figure for young women who find comfort in her songs. Whether they are dealing with TikTok posts regarding hiding accents or are being ridiculed for eating ethnic food lunches, they find comfort from her music.
Mitski continues to evolve musically. Her early releases were more focused on lo-fi styles; her more recent works showcase an expert mastery over genre-blending sounds. As a graduate from SUNY Purchase (the conservatory that nurtured Regina Spektor and Dan Deacon), Mitski leverages contemporary alt-country trends without abandoning her signature penmanship; thus producing an album which brilliantly blends personal experience with what’s current in music culture.
Lush
Mitski made her debut with 2012’s Lush, an emotive piano-led exploration of biological sadness that was heralded as “the most advanced American songwriter I know.” At her sold-out Boston concert this month, Mitski’s closing encore of two heartfelt ballads (Nobody and Washing Machine Heart) revealed an optimistic side to her music that Iggy Pop had been singing about:
Mitski who took to the stage that night was ambitious and determined to get to where she is now. She knows there is a price to be paid for success, yet believes it is worthwhile paying. Mitski has become part of an extended community who share Mitski’s dedication to laughter as essential human happiness; gender equality non-negotiable; and great shows providing an adrenalin rush equal parts demonic possession and religious exhilaration.
