Review: Mitski’s The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We
Over the course of her nearly 12 year career, the mononymous musician Mitski has said many things about love. In “Square,” a track from her 2013 album Retired from Sad, New Career in Business, she cuts to the quick of the matter with scalpel-sharp precision: “God's very simple and love doesn't burn.” But while Mitski has written many songs about love, it has never been more present at the thematic, album-wide level than it is in her new album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.
Released on September 15th, Mitski’s newest album is a sonic departure from her previous record, Laurel Hell, as she trades synths and electronic-heavy tracks for a more folk rock inspired sound. To call it a departure is a bit untrue, however — when compared to her earlier work, The Land Is Inhospitable is the most similar in genre and tone to her previously mentioned second album, Retired from Sad. Still, no Mitski album is exactly the same as any other, which is part of what makes her music so exciting. It makes every new album, every new single, exhilarating to listen to. Her writing is dynamic and her sound is always evolving.
Heralded by the three singles “Bug Like an Angel,” “Heaven,” and “Star,” the album discusses love, loss, God, and the places we inhabit. It has a number of standout tracks, but if there’s one thing Mitski always delivers, it’s a cohesive and compact album. There’s no excess present. The Land Is Inhospitable benefits from a thorough front-to-back listen — and at roughly 32 minutes, that’s an eminently achievable task. The album opens with its first single, “Bug Like an Angel,” a hauntingly beautiful portrait of how lonely it can be to hit rock bottom. It’s my favorite track on the album, and whenever I listen to it I find myself struck by the line “When I'm bent over wishin' it was over / Makin' all variety of vows I'll never keep / I try to remember the wrath of the devil / Was also given him by God.” Mitski is a lyrical and musical powerhouse, composing lines like these which echo in the listener’s mind long after the song is over.
Other highlights from the album include the minimal, raw, and plaintive “I’m Your Man,” as well as “Heaven” and its rich guitar that makes the whole song resonate with a palpable warmth. But the concept of love takes center stage in the track “My Love Mine All Mine.” It’s beautiful, simultaneously mournful and sweet. Meditating on ownership, Mitski writes that “Nothing in the world belongs to me / But my love, mine, all mine, all mine.” In her video “My Love Mine All Mine (Behind The Song),” Mitski says that “I really do believe… to love is the best thing I ever did in my life, better than any song I’ve ever written, better than any achievement by far,” adding that “I guess it sorta dies with me.” While I agree with her on the importance of love, I disagree with her final point — love lives on after you’re gone. It lives in the people you’ve loved and the people they’ve loved in turn, in your passion projects, in everything you’ve ever held close to your heart. In Mitski’s Spotify bio, Will Arbery writes that The Land Is Inhospitable “[feels] like a love that’s haunting the land,” and that’s an assessment I agree with. Love haunts us — it sticks around, whether we want it to or not.
I’m far from the first or the only one to write this, but Mitski is one of the most talented musical artists working today. Every time I listen to her work, I feel grateful to be on the planet at the same time as her — and grateful that she’s continued to share her music with us. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We is out now. I recommend giving it a listen, even if you’re not familiar with Mitski’s work. It’s a journey worth going on.
