Mitski- The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

There are so many things that I want to say about this album, but I often can’t find the words for the feelings that arise whenever a track from this record graces my ears. I guess that it usually feels like that familiar sensation of a lump in the back of your throat or the moments before tears begin to fall, when your eyes feel so full that the cup could break at any moment.

The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, is the seventh album from singer-songwriter Mitsuki Miyawaki, and thus far it may just be her most successful, but why is that? It doesn’t beg for attention, it doesn’t come roaring in, rather it slinks its way forward. Treading lightly as not to leave a trace of its arrival, yet it has had such a massive impact on the current music climate as of late, that people are even taking to AI to create covers of the songs, especially for My Love Mine All Mine, which has since become Mitski’s highest streamed song of all time and has propelled her into the spotlight. A place in which she usually avoids.

A possible reason for this overwhelming success is the undeniable country and western aspects of the record. Admitting that it is her most ‘American’ album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We has garnered unanimous praise from critics and fans alike for its raw lyrics and central theme of love, which is seen as a positive, in stark contrast to her previous offerings on the concept.

It would be far too simple to write an album about being in love that is obvious in its happiness. When there is something that you have wanted for so long and it’s so close you could touch it, you can’t help but to question it, to be sceptical. This album is about love and it’s full of songs about love, yet it’s from somewhere outside. Not fully enveloped in the feeling but not sitting outside in the car. With this album we’re standing in love’s porch, we want to come in and sit down and be wrapped up in it. But standing by the door, holding onto the handle often feels more natural. Despite this focus on love, I can’t help but feel lonely. Listening makes me feel as if I have taken a late-night walk around an unknown town somewhere in middle-America, on a search for someone to love, only to find that they don’t exist. 

Each song distinctly different from the last, with a prominent melancholy-country influence running through the soul of the album, a change of tone from Mitski’s preceding album Laurel Hell, which was criticised online for being too upbeat and likened to ‘Mario Kart’ music. While returning to her so-called sad-girl music box, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, has a maturity to it that you will only find through lived experiences. She has been in love and has seen it from every angle, even the ugly ones. The tenth track titled, I’m Your Man, illustrates the regret felt when reminiscing on a past-lover, vulnerable and laid bare, the intricacies of love are exposed to the listener. Whereas heard elsewhere, hit song My Love Mine All Mine needs no deciphering, explicit in its declaration of emotion.

In spite of that, Mitski’s lyrical prowess best shines through in the tracks which haven’t received as much attention. The Deal and The Frost, both overlooked have passionate yet weighty lyrics, musing on ideas of trading one’s soul or being left behind and having no one to share experiences with, which personally are a lot more hard hitting and have more of a nuanced approach about them. In The Frost, Mitski plays with the idea of the world leaving her behind. Commenting on the absence of her best friend, love is yet again depicted albeit in a platonic sense.

The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, should be regarded as one of the best albums of the decade. Laying down her soul and sharing a tender side, all while displaying an unbridled affection for life, Mitski masterfully takes on themes so often oversaturated, and strips it back, weaving in her own experience to create intense and complex stories, backed by music straight out of a Spaghetti Western film. You will dance and cry, all at once.