Mitski is back with a new album, which is effortlessly emotional with a new sense of calm.
Mitski’s seventh album “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” explores themes such as love, heartbreak and finding yourself, with a more down to earth, romantic sound.
The entire album has a very soothing tone. The songs are all slower in tempo, lulling the listener into their calm, comforting, yet emotional atmosphere. It is also a quick listen, with seven of the 11 total songs being under three minutes.
A stand out song on this album comes midway with “My Love Mine All Mine.” This song is about being in love and feeling as though that specific love is the most important thing to you.
Unlike a lot of Mitski’s previous work, this song is not about heartbreak. It is catchy, romantic and describes the sweeter side of being in love. With light, rhythmic drumming, slow synthy guitar and keyboard, and slow vocals, this song eases you into a sweet state that feels like unconditional love.
Another great listen is the 10th track “I’m Your Man.” This song is definitely the eeriest song on the album. It has a haunting, heartbreaking sound and describes a painful relationship dynamic. Mitski sings of how, although her partner loves and admires her, she feels as though she is destined to hurt her partner. The song is filled with parallel metaphors and ends with the lyric “You believe me like a god / I’ll betray you like a man,” followed by unique ambient outdoor noises such as dogs barking and insects chirping. While darker, this song still holds beauty, just with more pain.
While a great listen, a shortcoming of this album is its lack of variety. Unlike Mitski’s previous albums, which usually contain a mix of upbeat songs and sad songs, all the songs on this album have a pretty similar vibe. The songs don’t sound the same in a negative, unoriginal way, but it would be nice to have more diversity with their style.
Unlike Mitski’s previous album, “Laurel Hell,” this album does not contain any songs that feature more electronic instrumentals. The songs are not necessarily something you can dance to, besides some light swaying.
“The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” was released on Sept. 15.
