The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

Beloved indie legend Mitski Miyawaki is back so soon after her shortest hiatus in a decade, wasting zero time to deliver one of her finest and most delicate works to date.

“The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” is an album that exists in the late hours, coming off as an introspective post-dinner porch sit down in which Mitski combs through memories of past relationships and the loneliness and emotional loss that comes with their demise. Ditching the new wave poptimism of last year’s “Laurel Hell” for a much more laid back singer-songwriter approach with chamber pop and country influences gives the 11 tracks on this project a much more intimate aura, whether this is communicated through the quiet loneliness of tracks like “Bug Like An Angel”, or the evolving instrumentation on tracks like “The Deal'' and “Star”, both of which eventually flutter into grand and all-enveloping atmosphere that feels like a sonic representation of the nighttime that is so often referenced in the lyrics. Or maybe it is a mixture of both, like with “I’m Your Man”, a documentation of feelings that sees Mitski dealing with the retrospective regret that came with the tumultuous ending of a relationship that she now views so positively. It’s a track that perfects the inherent tragedy of Mitski’s lyricism, only further complimented by some strummy guitar playing and reserved drums that eventually make way into a collage of “oh oh ohs” and field recordings headlined by the sound of crickets. It does not take a genius to recognize the amount of care and craft that went into each song, each track seeing Mitski playing into her strengths as a lyricist and musician to an utterly brilliant but devastating degree.

At times skeletal and grounded and other times spectral and grand, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” is easily one of the most well-rounded projects of Mitski’s career, and of the year as a whole. There is not a single low point to be found here, each song sounds like they have a deserved place in the sonic and lyrical narrative of the album as a whole. If it’s not evident at this point, I am in love. A major album of the year contender without a doubt in my mind.

Much love to you Mitski

Highlights: “Heaven”, “I’m Your Man”, “The Deal”, “Star”

9/10