There is an intensity to the music of Mitski Miyawaki that is seldom found elsewhere in the music scene. Known mononymously as Mitski, the music she has released over the past decade has never shied away from sinking into deep waters and sifting through dark themes, all the while basking in the shade of dazzling synths and hooks. However, having spent the last few years in a state of turbulence, transitioning from media hiatuses, promises of retirement and album cycles, This Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We finds Mitski releasing some of her most devastating music yet – and it is beautiful. Elvy McCrudden shares their thoughts.
After a hiatus from social media and releasing music, last year’s Laurel Hell saw Mitski returning with some of her catchiest hooks yet. Beneath the glamour of the singles, however, the production and aesthetics hinted at a darker sound. In previous releases, such as in Be The Cowboy, Mitski’s voice was front and centre, but Laurel Hell saw her becoming lost in reverb. Releasing only a year and a half later, This Land Is Inhospitable… sees these sonics taken to further extremes, shedding the electric glitter of her previous works and instead embracing folk and chamber pop. It comes as no surprise to discover that Drew Erickson had a hand in writing some of the instrumental arrangements on this album, considering his recent work with Father John Misty – some of the tracks on this album would be right at home on his last record.
This album opens on the modest Bug Like an Angel, a delicate track that greets us with a muddy acoustic guitar before timidly introducing us to Mitski’s voice, her words gently fluttering as the microphone echoes. The thick layers of lo-fi reverb recall a vast empty space, one in which the singer is alone and tiny. ‘There’s a bug like an angel stuck to the bottom of my glass’, she sings. This Land Is Inhospitable features some of her most cryptic and poetic lyrics yet. As the narrator observes the insect, entirely overwhelmed by the sugary liquid, perhaps she relates to its fragility. As glorious and as comforting as love may prove to be further down the album, it is also profoundly difficult to navigate. Maybe the bug reminds her of this; after all, ‘sometimes a drink feels like family’.
The cold loneliness of Bug Like an Angel is broken by the warmth of a choir, heralded by the mention of family. Along with lyrical allusions to gods and angels, this choir of voices hints at the touches of faith and mythology sprinkled across the album. Mitski herself calls this her ‘most American album’, and the folklore of the land is imperative in understanding the complex interwoven themes of love, belonging and self-worth.
"In previous albums, her songs seemed to exist in a purely abstract space in which only Mitski herself existed, but the songs on This Land Is Inhospitable exist somewhere far more palpable, and feel far more communal – as personal as the lyrics may be at times, Mitski is just as much diving into the collective human experience as she is her own."
Beyond the opening track, the landscape expands across beds of muffled acoustic guitars, punctuated occasionally by soft piano chimes and gentle drum beats.
"The imperfect recording lends the album a raw authenticity, with the instruments sounding just as tender as the vocals."
Buffalo Replaced acquaints us with these modest aesthetics, whilst Heaven introduces us to gorgeous arrangements of strings. Though in the past, Mitski has experimented with slow tempos, this whole record exists at a much slower pace than her previous work. Her vocal performances are heavily reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, especially on track like I Don’t Like My Mind, but her words are so idiosyncratically hers. This track reflects the narrator at one of their most unflattering moments, recalling her eating ‘a whole cake’, before vomiting it back up. This song, along with many others on the album, paint a picture of vulnerability that is simultaneously uncomfortably honest and refreshingly earnest.
That all being said, the album doesn’t really come into its own until it passes the halfway mark. As impressive as tracks like Bug Like an Angel and The Deal are, the latter of which boasting some of the most dynamic instrumentation and some of the records most interesting lyrics, taking inspiration from moral fables in its recollection of voices in the night and of selling souls, it’s partially held back by repetitive song structures and a meandering pace. However, falling the urgent funeral march of When Memories Snow, the album accelerates into its most beautiful moments. My Love Mine All Mine, though simple in structure, offers some of the record’s most tender instrumentation and lyrics. Mitski imagines love as a celestial body, on par at least with the moon. The Frost leans into the country inspiration, featuring these indulgent pedal steel guitars over its desolate landscape – the delicate sounds of the song contrast with the miserable loneliness of the lyrics.
The most breath-taking track on the album is the monumentally gorgeous Star. The hum of synths that grow and swell over the course of the song are dazzling, and the transition from the minimalistic modesty at the beginning to the huge waves of sound at the end is as delicate as Mitski’s vocal performance. The lyrics are devastating, reflecting on a love that was once so close and intimate, now lost across the universe. ‘Love is like a star’, she sings, ‘it’s gone, we just see it shining, it’s travelled very far’. The emotional intensity of this song cannot be understated – this song threatens previous emotional highs in her career, like Two Slow Dancers off Be The Cowboy and A Burning Hill off Puberty 2, as potentially being her most beautiful song to date. Followed swiftly by the dense atmosphere of I’m Your Man, which matches barking dogs, chirping crickets and brooding choirs with lyrics of unworthiness, comparing a partner she disappoints to something as pure as an angel, and the bleak march of closing track I Love Me After You, the album’s final moments are sure to leave a hefty impact.
Sonically, This Land Is Inhospitable is her darkest yet. Though occasionally at risk of spilling into monotony, its pace is perfect for an exploration of love, loneliness and self-worth that is as intimate as it is desolate. But buried in her lyrics remains traces of optimism; the devastation of songs like Star are countered by the bliss of tracks like Heaven, and other moments such as My Love Mine All Mine carefully handle love as a cause of concern and a source of pride. Self-critical as she may be, Mitski’s modesty does not stop this album from displaying how truly talented she is. This album is her most thematically consistent yet, and provides an experience that will take your breath away.
Elvy McCrudden
Edited by Natalie Howarth
Featured Image from The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We Official Album Cover
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