Upon the release of the album and its first single, “Bug Like an Angel,” Mitski fans knew the full album would require a soft, safe blanket and quite a few tissues. This sonically homogenous album blends together Mitski’s euphonious vocals with softly layered, yet still notable, string and key melodies. Gone is the screaming into microphones, characteristic of her early albums; this release follows in the wake of “Laurel Hell,” which too explored a quiet yet firm vocal and instrumental style.
Mitski’s six previous albums earned her one of the top competing spots among fans for the title of “queen of sad-girl-indie.” Her earlier discography is full of heartbreaking lyrics and body-numbing instrumentals that leave listeners in an ongoing cycle of both pain and craving more.
Thematically, this album matches no others in her discography: no harrowing descriptions of the reality of the music industry, nor depictions of self-sabotage in the name of hiding her true self from others. This latest album is arguably the most open, honest, and vulnerable the singer-songwriter has been with her listeners.
The album features some songs that are coupled in concept. Features like I Don’t Like My Mind and When Memories Snow both relate in the topic of avoiding reminiscing about her past, since poor memories commonly overshadow anything good worth remembering.
In a similar fashion, Bug Like an Angel and I’m Your Man both use religious motifs to explore messy betrayal; if Mitski has any commonality between all of the songs she has written, it is that she is undoubtedly human, just like all of us, and that makes her music even more special, at least to me, who seeks out any ounce of relatability I can find.
While the aforementioned songs were lyrically creative, I found myself mindlessly humming along to them like they were a familiar tune over the speakers of a conversation-loud coffeehouse. Instead, tracks like The Deal, My Love Mine All Mine, and I Love Me After You truly caught my attention. I catch myself, completely unashamed, putting these on repeat for long stretches of time. These three songs dive deep into the strength, necessity, and potential costs of love.
Described in an overview posted to YouTube1 of My Love Mine All Mine, Mitski expresses that “love is the best thing [she] ever did,” which serves as not only the meaning of the song in question, but a quintessential piece to the essence of the entire album. And with that, I’m truly excited for this album to gain the traction I feel that it deserves among both her seasoned fans and explorers of the indie genre.
1 Link to full “Behind The Song” video
