There was a brief period when it seemed like Mitski might never release music again. Following her 2018 album “Be The Cowboy,” the indie-pop songwriter was catapulted into stardom and grew uncomfortable with her fanbase’s parasocial relationship, describing herself as “a black hole where people dump their feelings” in an interview with The Guardian.
Despite her hesitations in early 2022, she returned with “Laurel Hell,” a bright, melancholic pop album that showcased Mitski’s new vision and general strengths as a songwriter. After achieving critical and commercial success, Mitski quickly followed up with “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” on Sept. 15. Her newest release is an undoubtedly beautiful and pastoral album, with the occasional unsatisfying and restless moment.
Mitski described the project as her “most American album,” but it’s really a series of snapshots through deteriorating relationships, fragmented imagery and familiar reminiscences. Lyrics are often jagged, half-articulated sentiments, catching you off guard when you’re least expecting them — the epilogue of “The Frost” where she sings “It’s just witness-less me” packs an emotionally charged punch. Mitski recognizes the religious undertones of family life in her lead single “Bug Like an Angel,” which sounds transcendent when paired with the persistent 17-piece choir. Those reverent sentiments appear again in “I’m Your Man,” where she mentions the looming threat of judgment day in a song that otherwise details a relationship’s power dynamic.
Thoughts of faltering couples and lost love are the most prevalent themes, coating various parts of the album like wallpaper. In “Heaven,” a waltzing country love song, a storm cloud appears on the horizon. “Now I bend like a willow / Thinkin’ of you,” she sings, right before her longing materializes into a striking string interlude. In “When Memories Snow,” those memories come alive and rain down on the ground, the driveway and the drainpipe, surrounding the song’s narrator. Compared to any other song on the record, “When Memories Snow” best pairs the claustrophobic, acute lyrics with the thumping, orchestral pop orchestration. Every time the choir responds to Mitski’s words, it feels like they’re slowly closing in on you.
However, the weakest moments of “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” sound like a deluge of mid-tempo songs where the atmosphere does most of the heavy lifting. Filled with drooping piano chords, brushed snare drums and pedal steel guitars, Mitski and longtime producer Patrick Hyland construct a soundscape bound to elicit an agreeable, Americana sound. But while songs like “When Memories Snow” or “The Frost” are chock-full of vivid images and salient feelings, they’re shortchanged by their lack of strong melodies — case in point is “Buffalo Replaced,” where the grim, humorous lyrics “I have a hope and though she’s blind with no name / She shits where she’s supposed to, feeds herself while I’m away” take the backseat to a forgettable vocal melody.
Still, atmosphere and intention can get you quite far. This is an exciting continuation for Mitski, who has mastered storytelling centered around elliptical details and hard-hitting emotions. After a few listens, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” starts to remind you of an old sweater — it can be a bit underwhelming but still comforting. Mitski’s newest album drives this point home – there’s nothing wrong with experiencing both feelings at the same time.
Contact Ethan Beck at [email protected].