The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

Mitski

BY ABBY VELA

The long-awaited 7th album from artist Mitski immerses listeners in a world of nostalgia, pain, and loneliness. “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” is an album that makes you stop and think: How do we coexist with our minds and the world, and what will it remember of us after we’re gone?

“The Land” is an amalgamation of sounds that Mitski, though experimented prior, has now conquered. Her past albums, “Retired from Sad” and “Lush”, show her dabbling in orchestral arrangements to their fullest force. Similarly, we see in “Laurel Hell” and “Be The Cowboy” the development of her electronic and synth-driven sound.

“The Land” takes these sounds, strips them, combines them, and cultivates them into a cohesive and sophisticated album. The lyrics are smart and include some of Mitski’s most visceral imagery to date. The release’s lead single, “Bug Like an Angel”, leaves me consistently stunned by and in awe of the desperation in each verse. “When Memories Snow” compares pushing memories away to shoveling during winter—a terribly bleak and curt image that never fails to give me shivers.

Country influences dominate this album, giving it a feeling of loss and nostalgia. With the album having been recorded in Nashville, TN, the influ- ence is tangible. Complete with steel guitars and choral features, songs like “Heaven,” “Frost,” and “I’m Your Man” feel like a Southern Gothic—unsettling and hauntingly beautiful.

“The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” is apocalyptic — a startling commentary on what happens when you’re left alone with your mind for a little too long, and I could not recommend it enough.