Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
In 2012, Mitski broke out with her debut album “Lush,” featuring emotionally heavy lyricism and a wide vocal range. With each subsequent release, Mitski has become increasingly known for tragic love songs and themes dealing with her raw emotions. Mitski’s newest project, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We,” goes just as deep but calms down compared to the intense ballads from albums such as “Be the Cowboy” and “Laurel Hell.”
“The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” has a runtime of 32 minutes 21 seconds spanning across 11 tracks — starting on “Bug Like an Angel,” “Buffalo Replaced,” “Heaven,” “I Don’t Like My Mind,” “The Deal,” “When Memories Snow,” “My Love Mine All Mine,” “The Frost,” “Star,” “I’m Your Man” and closing with “I Love Me After You.”
As the album starts, “Bug Like an Angel” features lightly strummed acoustics accompanied by Mitski’s iconic voice. As the song progresses, a choir slowly fades in and out to further emphasize the ends of Mitski’s words and fill the gaps in between verses. The lyrics “As I got older, I learned I’m a drinker. Sometimes a drink feels like family,” discuss her relationship with alcohol and showcase a country and folk music theme that is prevalent across the project. With sounds similar to artists such as Faron Young’s country sound and Faye Webster’s indie folk roots. The track serves as a perfect introduction to her new LP.
Each song has its intense moments, but the project has an overall mellowed-out sound compared to her previous works. The highs and lows of her voice are more settled, and for the most part, the instrumentals are less complex, both having been toned down. Tracks like “Heaven” and “The Frost” are great examples of this. While they are great, they are less sonically complex and modern compared to her most popular songs like “Washing Machine Heart” and “Nobody.” Most songs have a lack of synth, which is something that has been prevalent across her most popular albums. In its place there is the orchestra heard in “Heaven” or the aforementioned choir in “Bug Like an Angel,” which further cements the country-esque sound.
To close the album we have the track “I Love Me After You.” This track strays from the style during the album and returns to the embodiment of what Mitski is known for. Her voice is on point, and the background is loud and overwhelming. The track serves somewhat as an end to her journey, settling back into what she is comfortable with. It serves as a great, intense end to the record.
Overall, Mitski delivered with “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.” Every track is full of complex emotions with the instrumental holding a new sound compared to what Mitski typically delivers. Standout tracks include “Bug Like an Angel,” with its smooth acoustic and accompanying choir, “Buffalo Replaced” with its spaghetti western vibe and “My Love Mine All Mine” with its somber tone. If you are a fan of Mitski, this album will not disappoint.
Mitski released “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” on Sept. 15. It is available on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.
