Just in time for the transition into fall, Mitski released her seventh studio album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We,” on Sept. 15. The album is an emotional, detailed collection of 11 songs that feature powerful lyrics and instrumentation that listeners connect to.
Since her first project in 2012, titled “Lush,” Mitski’s artistry has been adored for her ability to put difficult feelings into words. Fans anticipate her releases, eager to scream and cry along to her songs.
The album was recorded at the Bomb Shelter Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, with production by Patrick Hyland, who has collaborated with Mitski on many iconic releases, such as “Francis Forever” and “Strawberry Blond.” In a video posted on her TikTok account Mitski explained the creative process that went into producing the album and her past records.
“A lot of the albums I’ve made with my producer, Patrick Hyland, we found the sound or tone of the album by first finding the sound of a song, and then using that track as a guide or reference for the rest of the album,” Mitski said. “For this album it was ‘Buffalo Replaced.’”
She goes on to explain that her goal is not to make the rest of the album sound like the initial track, but instead to use it as a resource to avoid “fumbling in the dark” while developing music.
In the first track of the album and the first single released, “Bug Like an Angel,” Mitski talks about her experience with addiction. A music video and lyric videos in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese were created for more people to experience and understand the lyrics.
Mitski shares her struggle with addiction into adulthood in lyrics like, “As I got older / I learned I’m a drinker / Sometimes a drink feels like family.”
The song begins with simple vocals and light guitar, then is joined by a choir on the word “family.” In an interview with World Cafe, Mitski discussed her inspirations and choice to include a choir at points she wanted listeners to pay attention to.
“My fans know that I love a jump scare in the first track of an album,” Mitski said. “The song structure is very simple. There’s not really a chorus, so it was kind of a way to bring the audience in and another tool to make the song a little more exciting.”
On her YouTube, Mitski shared “Behind the Song” videos with intimate, in-depth descriptions of her thought processes and meanings of the songs. The second single released, “Star,” was a track Mitski started working on years ago and decided to include.
“We went through a whole lot of versions of it until we finally figured out the version that it is today,” she said in the video. “I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
On release day, a music video to the seventh track, “My Love Mine All Mine,” was released and has received a lot of recognition, especially on TikTok, where fans have posted videos of their loved ones accompanied by the song. Mitski explained that love is valuable and that she cherishes it greatly.
“To love is the best thing I ever did, the most beautiful thing,” Mitski said. “Better than any song I’ve written, any material possession I’ve gained, any achievement.”
On Friday, Mitski shared on social media that she would announce tour dates soon.
