The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

I have never heard a Mitski album before, people were bringing up her name a lot next to Laufey so I had to listen to this new new and well ... pikachu shocked gif.

Sonically the album is absolutely gorgeous from start to finish - I was reminded a lot of Weyes Blood here but the writing and structures still feel fairly unique. From the more orchestral stretches of the first half to the enchanting and shimmering final run the album is brimming with beauty.

At times I do feel the length of the songs could have been longer and given each track some more space to breathe, but it's hard to complain when we have such a tight and concise labour of love.

The lyrics here are frankly amazing. There is definitely some irony and frankness that the more tough-to-please folk crowd might not enjoy but I found it to be very organic. Mitski isn't afraid to fluctuate between poetic and just openly relatable, I think it only adds to how vulnerable and genuine it all sounds.

The writing here is terrific. There's a religious subtext throughout the project favored very heavily by the dreamy production on tracks such as Heaven. In songs such as The Deal, we have a narrator ready to sell their soul simply to rid themselves of its burden. The juxtaposition of the soothing soundscapes and the soul-crushing narrative is executed masterfully. The final emotional gut punch of "I Love Me After You" - a song about reveling in becoming someone of worth after finally moving on from a previous relationship is just like - dude like forget coherent sentences for a second it's just awesome as fuck!

Also, "There's a bug like an angel stuck to the bottom
Of my glass, with a little bit left
As I got older, I learned I'm a drinker
Sometimes, a drink feels like family"

is just an absolutely insane way to start your project, she was cooking really well.

I don't believe Mitski does enough here sonically to set her aside from her contemporaries and truly innovate, but the writing here is more than enough to lull you into this warm, fragile, and gentle world she portrays here, a solid album worth checking out.

Highlights: The Deal, My love mine all mine, I'm your man, I love me after you.