Two weeks ago, alternative singer-songwriter Mitski released her seventh studio album, “The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We.” The name of this album speaks to a desolate area, one that is hostile and reluctant to form attachments and whoever lives in this area (presumably, Mitski herself) is the same. This is a fitting name. The music is beautifully sparse and quiet, with Mitski’s vocals assuming a smooth grittiness, entirely consonant with the album’s production. Listening to her croon, there is a tangible struggle between Mistki’s yearning for love and her reluctance to allow it into her life. The album reflects Mitski in her thirties — she is 33 to be exact — and Christian history will ascribe some significance to this age. No longer a budding indie-rock sensation, Mitski finds herself faced with an adult life that exists as much in memory as it does in her future. She has faced heartbreak and the failure of relationships; these experiences are inescapable now. They must be shared, and Mitski shares them with us. “These are among some of the most surreal, existential and fascinating songs of Mitski’s career, zooming out from the exigencies of her vocation to probe the essence of the human condition and our place in the cosmos,” says Cat Zhang of Pitchfork.
The personal life of Mitski Miyawaki reveals a changed world characterized by globalization and the internet. One that late millennials, and especially Gen Z, can fully comprehend. Born in Japan, Mitski lived in over 13 countries before arriving in America. Her half-Japanese heritage and expatriate status alone reflects the experiences of so many young Americans.
Mitski may have a contemporary appeal, but she’s also an old soul. Three years ago, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, which has long been the imperial seat of America’s country scene. “The Land is Inhospitable And So Are We” was recorded in a Nashville studio, and as a result, the elements of country and Americana are hard to miss. Much of her previous work could be classified as rock, with noise, prog and metal flares; not so with “Inhospitable.” It is warm and stylistically analog. Acoustic guitar and keyboard emerge at the forefront, blending seamlessly with her twangy vocals. Let’s talk about these vocals, actually. Mitski is a powerhouse. Her singing is mostly monophonic, a single, beautiful melody that spins in and between chords. But there are also moments of lush harmony, as in the climax of the opener “Bug Like an Angel.” The four-note humming in “Heaven” makes that song a highlight of the album. One fan compared her performance on the power ballad “I Don’t Like My Mind” to Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer of The Cranberries, who sadly passed away in 2018. With a wonderfully articulated falsetto, one might also compare her singing to Weyes Blood and Fiona Apple.
“The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We” is just 32 minutes long, and the listener is left wanting more. But Mitski has no more to say. In these 11 tracks, which average under three minutes in length, we are exposed to the very core of Mitski’s psyche. We understand her state of mind, her outlook on life and love and desire to push forward. That is more than any listener could ask for.
