In her seventh and newest studio album, “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We,” released Sept. 15, singer-songwriter Mitski revisits and expands on the mellow and atmospheric qualities dominant in “Puberty 2” and her earlier albums. She also retains many of her music’s characteristic features such as compelling dynamics and concise lyrics that drill layers deep with a precise assertion.
The album’s lead single, “Bug Like An Angel,” was released July 26 with a music video, in which an old woman stumbling home from a bar crosses paths with a philanthropic church choir at the end of the street, and the acoustic guitarist strumming along to their harmony is Mitski herself. A chilling dissonance exists between the choir’s static company and the woman’s unsalvaged descent into the pitfalls of alcoholism and her broken promises.
Other memorable songs in the album include “The Deal,” with its rich buildup of percussion and guitar behind the tender vocals. The lyrics themselves reflect someone who wants to be relieved of their soul and all the raw and heavy aspects of being human it comes with, declaring, “I can’t bear to keep it, I’d give it just to give/And all I will take are the consequences.” “I Love Me After You” conveys the sense of revelation that comes with choosing to explore and value oneself after breaking ties with someone else.
“My Love Mine All Mine,” one of the most listened-to songs on the album, captures the longing to nurture and immortalize one’s innermost love. “Nothing in the world belongs to me,” Mitski sings, “But my love, mine, all mine…”
She reflects on the origins of this track’s lyrics in one of her “Behind the Song” videos, which she’s created on her YouTube channel for many of the songs on the album.
“I very luckily have some material things,” she said, “But every material thing… can get lost, broken, stolen, or just deteriorate, including my body once I die… and I was thinking about, ‘Well, what do I have that’s really actually mine?’…. It’s this love I feel in me that… I’ve held onto and it’s mine for as long as I want it.”
Overall, the album explores isolation and vulnerability, but also the sense that people may be more bound together in their strong emotions than they often observe. Its ability to reach so wide and deep has contributed to its prompt popularity, having already racked up over 100 million streams on Spotify.
Mitski will be performing nearby at the Durham Performing Arts Center Feb. 2 and 3, 2024. Tickets for the tour have sold out on Ticketmaster, but remain available for resale.
Photo courtesy of Mitski
