Naomi reviews new Mitski album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We”
Mitski recently released her newest album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” on music streaming services. The album was announced on July 26th of this year, alongside the drop of the single “Bug Like an Angel.” The Americana-infused album has the classic, somber lyrics you may expect from Mitski, but has a quieter, softer, instrumental.
Mitski, 33, is an Asian-American singer-songwriter, known for her melancholic songs. Self-releasing her first two albums, Lush (2012) & Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2013) while studying at Purchase College Conservatory of Music, Her catalog of music is expansive, as well as her talent.
In the album, Mitski seemingly goes in-depth into herself as a person. The song “I Don’t Like My Mind” talks about a person who is self-loathing; and can’t deal with their own thoughts in their head, and the song “When Memories Snow,’’ about keeping memories on the back of your mind, even if it’s unhealthy. But an overarching theme of a lot of songs on this album is love; all of its good, bad, and ugly. Heaven, for example, talks about a struggling relationship, which Mitski wants to rekindle. Or “My Love Mine All Mine,’’ in which she expresses how she wishes her love would still remember her when she’s gone.
But one of the things that’s so special about the album is its relatability & authenticity towards its listeners. One of the things Mitski admits to doing is writing songs under the gaze of a character in an interview with Lelia Fadel from NPR, “On one hand, most of the narratives in the songs I write didn’t happen in my real life. Sometimes fiction or made-up stories is actually the best path towards speaking some sort of personal truth…But I’m just putting it through a character that does not exist or a narrative that didn’t happen because that happens to be the best way to express how I really feel.” Because of this, Mitski is able to express herself while also writing under a “gaze”, in which most may find relatable or authentic. I asked an FHS student why she personally appreciates Mitski’s music; “I like Mitski’s music because of her ability to be raw and honest in her music. It’s so hard to be able to be completely honest within your music especially when you are at the point in your career where you know thousands of people on it and I really appreciate Mitski for continuing to make music the way she always had despite those challenges.”
Yorumlar