On Feb. 4, Mitski released her sixth studio album, Laurell Hell. Despite how her last album, Be the Cowboy, was released four years ago, Mitski has not lost her ability to connect with and move fans with her enigmatic music.
Mitski is known to use poetic language throughout her music which creates a comforting ambiance for listeners. In the song “Francis Forever,” Mitski sings: “I don’t know what to do without you, I don’t know where to put my hands, I’ve been trying to lay my head down but I’m writing this at three a.m.” This line incorporates poetic rhyming that sets a comforting ambiance many people can relate to. Along with that, Mitski has stated many times that her music is up for interpretation, which gives listeners the ability to relate to her music at a deeper level.
Laurel Hell, consisting of 11 tracks, has a resemblance to her previous music with dark lyrics beneath colorful, flowy synthesizers which leave listeners with a bittersweet taste in their mouths. In the song “Nobody,” which consists of dark lyrics underneath an upbeat tune, Mitski sings: “And I don’t want your pity, I just want somebody near me. Guess I’m a coward, I just want to feel alright.” This line particularly stood out to me as a dark, sad line hidden beneath the cheerful beats.
Her new album has a more prominent aesthetic than all of her previous works. It incorporates different elements that portray and encapsulate darkness. A clear example of this new style is the use of the color red on the album cover. This color choice differentiates Mitski’s new album from her previous ones, which used other colors such as white, yellow and green to set a different, softer vibe than Laurel Hell.
Themes of darkness are also found throughout Mitski’s lyrics. She addresses this in “Valentine, Texas,” when she sings “Let’s step carefully into the dark.” She mentions darkness again in “Everyone” with the lyrics “And I left the door open to the dark.”
Despite the darkness throughout the album, there are also many transitions between energetic and non-energetic songs. These happen very quickly which often leads listeners to feel a sort of whiplash.
An example of this is the transition from the energetic songs “Everyone” and “The Only Heartbreaker,” to “There’s Nothing Left for You,” which carries more pain in its lyrics and tune.
One of my favorite things about Mitski is how relatable she can be. People who are overwhelmed and stressed out, scattered, sad, or melancholic can relate to her music. From schoolwork to my social life I have found Mitski to be a comfort.
Fans speculate that the tone Mitski set in her new album was a depiction of the overwhelming and sad emotions she was feeling with her fame, her tours and her music career.
The dark,out-of-place feeling this album seems to have makes sense. After Mitski released Be the Cowboy, she said she was done with music. In 2019 she tweeted “I sense that if I don’t step away soon, my self-worth/identity will start depending too much on staying in the game, in the constant churn.” However, she was contractually obligated to release another album for her record label, and so speculation arose from fans that Laurel Hell was created for that sole purpose.
Mitski’s new album may be interpreted in many different ways depending on the listener, whether they like upbeat songs or sadder ones. I find the sadder ones more comforting, since they make me feel I am not alone. In the end, Mitski’s new album was a different, beautiful approach to the sad, confusing emotions that everyone can relate to.
Featured image via Dead Oceans/Mitski
