Mitski, born Mitsuki Laycock, released her sixth studio album entitled “Laurel Hell” produced by the label Dead Oceans on Feb. 4. This album marks the Japanese-American singer-songwriter’s return from a four-year hiatus from releasing albums, and with this new masterpiece, she presents an updated, confessional style. In just 32 minutes and 31 seconds, Mitski sticks to her enigmatic roots, allowing listeners to feel like they truly know her.
The singer’s work has consistently blended music genres into a conglomerate of dreamy, catchy and hard-hitting styles ranging from indie/electric pop/rock, some folk and even punk. While “Laurel Hell” mimics Mitski’s roots and exploration of music, this album is distinctly mature in comparison to her former works.
Before “Laurel Hell” was released, Mitski dropped four singles to promote the album. “Working for the Knife” was first, released in late 2021, setting the grim tone for the confessional album Mitski had in store for her fans. “Working for the Knife” illustrates a feeling of oppression and suffocation from outside forces, denoting the constant stress and anxiety that comes with working in the music industry and obsessively trying to survive its capitalist nature.
The second single was released Nov. 9, titled “The Only Heartbreaker.” A very ’80s synth-indie-rock song about the pressures of relationships and the struggle of feeling like she is the only one who messes up, it is quite similar to the fourth and final single released, “Love Me More” in regards to intense themes of longing. In the bridge of “The Only Heartbreaker,” the repetition of the lyrics “I apologize / You forgive me” represents the cyclical nature of this type of relationship and how exhausting it can be, and “Love Me More” focuses on needing to fixate on distractions to reinvent the self and cope with isolation and separation from the world around us. Likely referencing recent pandemic lockdowns, Mitski calls out in desperation for distractions to “fill [her] up” so she doesn’t have to deal with the reality of the present.
“Heat Lighting,” the third single released in preparation for the full album, discusses the reality of relationships and the heartfelt honesty of forgiveness, needing that forgiveness in return.
“I needed love songs about real relationships that are not power struggles to be won or lost. I needed songs that could help me forgive both others and myself,” Mitski told NME. “I make mistakes all the time. I don’t want to put on a front where I’m a role model, but I’m also not a bad person. I needed to create this space mostly for myself where I sat in that gray area.
The opening song of the album, “Valentine, Texas,” which begins with very fitting lyrics, “Let’s step carefully into the dark / Once we’re in, I’ll remember my way around,” is daunting and shares her art form after an increasingly long time away from the spotlight. It is an ominous opening with a more subdued tone than the rest of the songs, which likely expresses her nervous feelings of sharing her art once again.
“Everyone,” the album’s fourth track and a slow ballad, is a confession of not knowing what the music industry had in store for her when she was impressionable and just starting out. Mitski continues to discuss giving herself over to her demanding career and receiving almost nothing in return as the industry finds newer, younger, more talented individuals to fill her shoes in “There’s Nothing Left for You,” the eighth track on “Laurel Hell.” Anxieties about aging and losing her success after working so hard surface are emphasized within this song, as she expresses feeling depleted, running dry creatively and mentally.
Mitski also explores the theme of failed relationships throughout “Laurel Hell,” with more ’80s synth-pop numbers like “Should’ve Been Me” and the upbeat “That’s Our Lamp,” which is the last song of the album. Emphasizing remorse and regret for failed relationships and exploring the feelings of understanding her partner does not love her as they once did, Mitski conveys a finality of both a relationship and the album to her listeners as the song fades out and “Laurel Hell” comes to a close.
Since stepping away from the music scene, Mitski has managed to gain more popularity. Many of her songs, including “Nobody,” “Strawberry Blond” and “Washing Machine Heart” blew up on TikTok over the past couple of years. When “Laurel Hell” came out, Mitski had a much larger audience than she’d had prior to the release of her fifth album “Be the Cowboy.”
Mitski’s private life has almost always been separate from her fans, as she dislikes being placed under scrutiny by the world.
“It’s like I’m sending out messages in bottles, but very picky and stubborn and selfish in that I only want the right person to receive it,” she told The New York Times. “I want to connect, but I also want to be left alone.”
Mitski’s unique, artsy craftsmanship and genius lyricism has served her well over the years, and while she seems to be taking a step back from her career indefinitely, her success will only continue to grow. In comparison to her previous albums about letting go of childhood to grow into an adulthood filled with themes of apprehension, dread, burnout and depression, this album is much more mature and views each element with an evolved perspective. In the midst of a wildly successful tour, Mitski’s talent in the music industry is to be admired and appreciated. “Laurel Hell” is an amazing masterpiece, stocked with sounds of the past and tunes of the present as Mitski reveals rare pieces of herself with dreamy vocals and mystifying lyrics.
Lillian Dunn is an Entertainment Intern for the winter 2022 quarter. She can be reached at lbdunn@uci.edu.