by Jare C (@jareccurtis)
In the past ten years, the music industry has proven to be a perpetually difficult and turbulent landscape to navigate, especially if you’re trying to find a place in the scene that equally balances your personal life and musicianship. One of the more high-profile artists within the burgeoning landscape of the indie underground has been Mitski, who in just a few years span went from relatively unknown darling to contemporary star. Much has been written about her desire for privacy and space to write music and be her own person. That will certainly continue, surrounding the release of her seventh studio album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, a record that finds Mitski at both her most personal, and her most daring.
The album, which simultaneously leans into current alt-country trends and her signature penmanship, is an innovative and creative take on blending an artist's style, personal experience with what's popular, all while staying true to an artist's authentic intent. It’s also, at the core, an album about love. Of the former, that is to say, songs like “Buffalo Replaced” and “Heaven” have plenty of burgeoning alt country staples- steel guitar, patterning and meandering drums, lonesome, striking vocals - but these undoubtedly fit within Mitski’s already ever present musical prowess. She feels right at home here, even more so than she did on efforts with more pop appeal, such as previous records Be The Cowboy and Laurel Hell.
With The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, we find a Mitski who is vocally driven, creating voraciously unique melodies and soundscapes that still sit within powerfully accessible compositions. What results is a thoughtful, striking album chock full of songs with distinctive songwriting and powerful moments. Whether it be the stunning, mind melting conclusion of “The Deal” into the haunting “When Memories Snow,” the diary entry lyrics of “Bug Like an Angel,” the revelatory moments of “I’m Your Man” or “I Love Me After You,” or the all encompassing, handpicked orchestra present on the album, we see Mitski at her most personal, most musical, most experimental, and most empowered. This truly feels like an album that someone made for themselves - for their love of life, of music, of the people in their life. In essence, it's a record that is Mitski at her most Mitski.
Which, all things considered, for most, is almost certainly a reminder of what music is ultimately all about. It is so easy to get entangled in the business of it all - recording the album so you can tour the album so you can write the new album so you can do it all over - and here is Mitski, centering herself through her work, and demonstrating a rich musical experience as a result. In just eleven tracks, this rumored “farewell” to music showcases an individual who puts all of who they are into their creativity - into their love of the world. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We is a record that is about the contradictions of love, love of place, love of people, love of self, and the ways we struggle to move through those contradictions while still feeling whole, valid, and just as individuals. This is certainly a landmark of one artist’s career, sure, but it also serves as a reminder of why music and art are such an important pillar of human life. Bordering upon a true masterpiece, this is a piece not to be missed.