Mitski’s most recent album, “The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We” is a stunning emotional roller coaster that is simply perfection. At first, I was skeptical of it, and unsure of its quality. However, listening to the first song completely dispelled that assumption. The album is full of lyrics that capture the imagination, gorgeous vocals, and a phenomenal sound that dances from song to song.
The album starts with a solemn feel, with “Bug Like An Angel” setting the tone. It is warm, personal, and pessimistic. Then, the tone is changed in track 3, “Heaven.” It becomes happier, kind of dream-like, and showcases a beautiful instrumental in the middle, which is a sharp contrast to the heavy, angry sound of “Buffalo Replaced.” However, by the next song, the tone is once again pessimistic, and the background sounds indie-folk once more.
Track five is incredibly introspective, thick with meaning and, overall, one of the best tracks in the whole album, in my opinion. Then, track six expounds on the beautiful metaphor of memories being like snow. Continuing on, “My Love Mine All Mine,” “The Frost,” and “I’m Your Man,” shine on, and lead to the closure in “I Love Me After You.” I’d rate the music in this album 5/5 stars.
After listening to the album, I wanted to give the best review possible by also watching the music videos. The videos were “Star,” “Bug Like An Angel,” and “My Love Mine All Mine.” In “Star,” a gloomy love song, Mitski rows a boat across a lake. The video is in black and white, and the quality is excellent, and matches the mood of the song perfectly.
The next video was “Bug Like An Angel,” and it featured an old woman stumbling around as a choir sang in the background. Mitski was part of the choir, playing a guitar and singing along. The video ended with the old woman stumbling in the middle of the street, continuing on the path to wherever she may have been going.
The last video was “My Love Mine All Mine,” in which Mitski climbed and crawled on a large collection of wooden chairs. At the end, atop her tower of chairs, she sees a far off beach. I’d rate the music videos 4/5 stars because it felt like the chairs were symbolism, although I couldn’t quite tell what they symbolized.
There are very few weaknesses. First of all, this album isn’t entirely family friendly. Secondly, it is so good, you end up wishing there were more tracks, or maybe even a tour going on in your area.
Overall, this album is one of Mitski’s very best, and is an extraordinarily raw lyrical and musical phenomenon. I would certainly recommend this album to anyone who likes Lana Del Rey or similar artists, as it is by no means listened to enough.
