Release Date: Sep 15, 2023
Genre(s): Pop/Rock
Record label: Dead Oceans
Music Critic Score
How the Music Critic Score works
Buy The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We from Amazon
A breathtaking navigation of the musical map, underscored by a poetic tenderness in its exploration of love's landscape, Mitski's seventh album triumphs, from its gently strummed first chords to its effects pedal finale. Mitski describes The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We as, "My most American album," and the effects of her relocation to Nashville three years ago are discernible throughout. While 2022's Laurel Hell leaned heavily on synths, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We is laced through with pedal steel and violin.
out with midski, let's get litski What little time has passed since Laurel Hell hasn't been kind to that record. In fact, I'd argue it's the worst type of album Mitski could have made at that point in her career. It's not that any of its songs are particularly bad, but each stylistic choice and shift exposed the worst qualities of her songwriting: every anti-climax and piece of semi-awkward songwriting didn't feel artistic or unique in their newfound synthy coats.
Tags: Mitski, Reviews, Album Reviews.
'The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We' is Mitski at her most emotionally raw. The artist's seventh record starts with the mellow 'Bug Like an Angel' - it's about seeing a bug in the bottom of a glass whilst drinking away sorrows. Stepping back from the dramatic synths that adorned previous album 'Laurel Hell', the song opens with an acoustic guitar and soft vocals, indicating that this album will be sticking firmly to the truth with few distractions.
is available now