The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

Mitski is one of my favorite solo artists ever. She is also one of the best lyricists I know, writing songs about the racism she's faced as a Japanese American, mental illness, trauma and isolation. She effortlessly switches genres as well, seamlessly going from chamber pop, to indie rock/noise rock and back to pop.

Listening to a Mitski song is like being comforted. But at points they are not easy to listen to. Whether it be the screaming at the end of "Drunk Walk Home", the entirety of "Class Of 2013" and her almost begging for death in "My Body's Made of Crushed Little Stars".

Her music has helped me through some real shit in life. There is not a single song that is "bad" in her entire discography.

Bug Like An Angel released a bit ago, my friends and I gathered around and listened to it together. It was a magical experience, the people you're closest with, the ones who went through hell with you, listening to Mitski together. It was amazing.

Then, Star and Heaven released, Heaven momentarily became the highest rated song of the year. Both songs are fucking amazing.

The hype around this Mitski record was some of the highest I've ever seen. All of my friends, every single one of them, was so pumped for this to come out. And the singles did not disappoint. I vaguely went around the Mitski fanbase looking for updates and it looks like they were off their shit too. Sad people around the world rejoiced and untied their nooses as Mitski announced this.

Why Mitski truly stands out is her devastating lyrics, her beautiful singing voice and while they might be simple, the songs just sound good.

"And I was so young when I behaved 25, yet now, I find that I've grown into a tall child". Never has a song resonated so much with me, it's like she just gets me. She once sang the word "Nobody" over and over for well over a minute straight, and it hurt.

I started therapy recently, I'm gonna need it after this album.

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Bug Like An Angel is a soft ballad, it’s calm until it explodes you with this choir because Mitski loves jumpscaring us. At first I loved it but over time, it’s grown even more.

Buffalo Replaced is a more fast paced song with a more synthy/chamber popish sound. It’s a damn good song, especially following up a song like the intro. The vocals near the end are breathtaking.

Heaven needs no introduction, it exploded by becoming the highest rated song in the entire year for a short while, and it deserved it. The instrumentation is beautiful, the orchestra blends so perfectly with the acoustic guitars and Mitski’s gentle vocals. The extremely hard hitting lyrics about a failing love are heartbreaking. And the outro, the fucking outro is one of the most beautiful things in Mitski’s discography.

I Don’t Like My Mind is just so sad, just incredibly sad. The title alone is depressing enough. The song amps up in intensity and her vocals just become so fucking powerful. It’s overwhelming, and the instruments getting louder and louder make it even more powerful. Had to take a break to cry listening to this one. And those lyrics, holy shit those lyrics. I knew it would be heartbreaking but not this fucking sad.

The Deal is another song that starts soft only to jumpscare you with sudden instrumentation. What can I say, Mitski loves her musical jumpscares. Not only do the instruments blend together into this almost mush of just bliss, but the chords hit perfectly. I don’t care if I sound like a broken record, but Mitski’s vocals are some of the most potent and raw they’ve ever been. Sorry I’m writing this as I’m listening for the first time like the idiot I am. The drums hit and now my jaw is on the floor, I’m being rushed to the ER as I type.

Short Mitski songs are a weapon that you cannot mess with. When Memories Snow is no stranger to that. It’s a burst of pure emotional energy. It hits you right at the start and only gets more intense. When it really kicks up, it’s fucking overpowering in every way. Those sour notes gave me chills, as if the fucking orchestra didn’t do that already. And it just keeps building like a Swans song. Except it’s over the course of like 1 minute. I had to use a breathing technique my therapist taught me after this one.

Bliss. Pure bliss. That’s the only way I can describe the next track. The fact that it uses the Creep/Steven Universe chord progression (or something similar) is just oh my god. If you didn’t know, thanks to music theory, that specific chord progression uses a small trick that creates a sense of nostalgia and sudden sadness. And Mitski using it was to happen eventually. All My Love All Mine is one of the most pretty and beautiful songs on the album. I can picture me slow dancing intimately with my future partner to this song, and then the half step down happens and I end up uncontrollably crying and it turns into a whole moment.

My good friend Shadow The Hedgehog told me that The Frost was his favorite aside from the singles. As such I took yet another breather before starting it. It lived up to how he described it. While it’s not my personal favorite, It’s beautiful and encapsulates the beauty the album holds as a whole.

Star sounded amazing as a single, but hearing it after the album was so much more powerful. The tracklist was set up perfectly. Each song transitioned into one another flawlessly. Star is a pretty song, that's just a fact. The slow buildup into that chorus is done so well, and her vocals add so much to an already good song.

I’m Your Man follows the same, slow but gets more intense formula the album uses a lot. Not only with her usual beautiful yet depressing lyrics, but with something that sounds like you’re lost. Not just mentally, physically. Like you see a vast landscape in front of you. The love of your life standing next to you, getting ready to take on the adventure together. Only for them to disappear, leaving you all alone. Lost. The sounds of animals used only further the feeling of a lonely adventure. Will you ever find your lover again? You decide. Anyways, this song is fucking amazing, just like every single song on here.

Mitski was tasked with creating a closer for an album like this. How does she do it? Well she fucking does it. Sounding as beautiful as ever. I Love Me After You concludes the album with a bang. One of the loudest bangs on the album. And this is an album with many sudden bangs and jumpscares (See above for more details). It’s a great conclusion. It leaves me wanting just a little more, but when you listen to an album like this, you never want it to end. Mitski ends it before it gets too long. Good on her.

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This was my most anticipated release of not only this year, but pretty much ever in my life. It lived up to the expectations and exceeded it. I cried twice while listening to it. I took a good breather to recover myself only to burst into tears again. Mitski proves that she can still make a damn good album over 10 years later.

She returns to her chamber pop sound with a mix of pretty much every album. Bits of synths from Be The Cowboy, bits of guitars and a heavier sound like Puberty 2 and Makout Creek and finally the orchestral sound of Retired From Sad. If this is Mitski’s final album, I am not disappointed. Not in the slightest.

Not only does it contain some of her best songs ever, but it’s just a flawless album all the way through. According to her, she has been writing some of these songs for years, and hasn’t been able to put them on an album until now. Even with that information, the fact that she was able to produce something like this just a year after Laurel Hell, is just dumbfounding.

The Land Is Inhospitable is a breathtaking album. As of now, it is my album of the year. I expected it to be good, but not this good. It’s blissful, it’s sour, it’s perfect. Now listen to this, right now. This shit better stay above 84, I swear to god.