Best of 2023: Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
words by Elise Daczko
Establishing an emotional connection with the audience is certainly not a new concept for Mitski; nonetheless, she continues to achieve a deeper level of intensity with every album she creates. Mitski’s latest album, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, unveils a new layer of depth for this American singer-songwriter through countless astronomical metaphors, powerful vocal and orchestral elements, and an overarching theme of love.
While past albums such as Laurel Hell and Be The Cowboy are well-known by fans for their use of synth instruments to create an angst-filled, indie pop experience, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We introduces a new, rawer sound for Mitski. Although some fans criticize the new album for its supposed lack of intensity, the album simply establishes intensity in a different way, starting with the opening track, “Bug Like an Angel.”
The opening track serves as a seemingly perfect start to the album, as it involves powerful, choral harmony. Fans know that Mitski loves including jumpscares in her songs, and “Bug Like an Angel” provides a thrilling one for listeners as the vocals shift from Mitski alone to a harmonious choir singing in unison with her.
This is the first time Mitski has arranged for a choir, which demonstrates the growth of her music and a new facet of the singer’s talent. She participated in many choirs throughout her childhood, so the addition of a choir to the vocals of this song connects to her past memories, setting a reflective, insightful tone for the remainder of the album. Other songs throughout the album, including “I Don’t Like My Mind” and “When Memories Snow” circle back to this idea that our pasts have a long-lasting impact on us.
Mitski achieves deep, emotional intensity within her new album through an emphasis on love. In interviews regarding the new album, Mitski comments on the importance of love in maintaining her happiness and warmth. “The Deal” introduces this narrative with a protagonist who makes a deal to give away her soul. The lyric, “Your pain is eased but you’ll never be free” communicates that everything in life has a cost; except for love.
Mitski uses songs such as “Heaven” to portray love as an unlimited reservoir that allows us to repeatedly find light in the darkness. The insightful lyric, “the dark awaits us all around the corner / But here in our place / We have for the day / Can we stay a while and listen / For Heaven” illustrates the importance of treasuring the love that we have, as love is the only thing that can carry us through dark times.
The significance of love persists within several astronomical metaphors in Mitski’s lyrics, contributing to the album’s overall lyrical success. For instance, “Star” includes lyrics such as “My love is like a star” and “You know I’d always been alone / Till you taught me / To live for somebody,” which describe how loving others simultaneously cures our own loneliness and shines light into the lives of others.
Mitski’s apparent admiration for the night sky does not end here, as she also calls attention to the moon through the album’s most popular song, “My Love Mine All Mine.” This song currently has 363,692,704 listens on Spotify, underscoring the album’s popularity and success. Her inspiration for this song began when she was staring up at the moon, pondering the beautiful idea that the moon existed before her and will continue to exist after her. When death arrives, everything in life slowly fades away, so Mitski wishes she could send up her love to the moon so it can live on after her. With the lyric “Nothing in the world belongs to me / But my love, mine all mine all mine,” Mitski expresses that love is a powerful force that is unique to everyone and must be cherished.
Just as the album began with a seamless introduction, the last song of the album mirrors this perfection. “I Love Me After You” is a simple yet eloquent song discussing the power of self-love. The protagonist in this song experiences an intense feeling of happiness after beginning to show love to herself. With the lyric, “I’m king of all the land,” Mitski reconnects the ending of the album back to the title, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We.
Through self-love, the protagonist feels the same sense of warmth and happiness that is exalted throughout the entirety of the album, giving listeners a beautiful message to take away. Mitski uses “I Love Me After You” as a way to not only convey the power of love for the listeners, but also remind herself of the beauty of her own love. The song embraces a strong, loud ending with intense instrumental and vocal influence, proving that the intensity of the album was present all along but simply masked by the overarching theme of love.
The land may be inhospitable, but Mitski’s albums will always feel like home.
This review is part of EMMIE’s Best of 2023 series. Keep an eye out on our website throughout December, as we will regularly post full album reviews of this year’s greatest hits.