Laurel Hell is Hell
By Gabby Ceconi ('22)
As a huge Mitski fan, hearing of the recent album drop she has blessed us with excited me greatly. The last time we got a solid album from her was back in 2018 with the release of Be the Cowboy, my favorite album of her's. However, after listening to her latest album, I was thoroughly disappointed. Before my other fellow Mitski fans come out for my throat, hear me out.
Apart from the fact that a good majority of the album sounds exactly the same as her last one, I was disappointed to find that her general vibe had been thrown off. Now, don't get me wrong, artists change all the time and go through their own arcs to showcase a story, however, this was a story I wasn't particularly interested in following. Mitski typically follows a very depressed, heartbroken storyline, and there is no doubt that she didn't follow this in the current album, however, it was completely thrown off by the overuse of 80's synthesizers. In almost every song, there are 80's synthesizers blaring throughout, and after about four to five songs, it gets old! To be blatantly honest, some of her songs (Stay Soft, Love Me More) sounded like they would play in Kohl's department store, which is known to be an insult amongst teenagers. It felt as though I was listening to Aretha Franklin trying to be Taylor Swift; her lyrics did not always match the upbeat 80's style prescribed.
Now, even though I didn't enjoy the album overall doesn't mean I didn't enjoy some of the songs alone! Let me take you through an honest review of each of the songs in the album.
(ELLE).
1.Valentine, Texas
This is my personal favorite track off of the album. In my opinion, this track feels the most characteristically "Mitski" out of all of them, relating back to tracks such as "Pink in the Night" off of Be the Cowboy with the beautiful usage of reverb and an acapella voice. The foreboding synths in the beginning left me feeling rather numb (in a good way) and like I was standing at a great precipice. It felt as though I had just been heartbroken, especially when she softly sings, "Who will I be tonight?/Who will I become tonight?" However, the second the chorus hits and the synths explode into a colorful rhythm, I felt as though sparks were flying. The actual lyrics in the song, although soft and simple, were poetic and left me feeling whole. Overall, I would give this song a 9/10.
2. Working for the Knife
One of the more famous tracks on the album, this song had me singing the first verse over and over again; it was rather addictive. I liked that the general vibe of the song made me feel as though I was standing tall, but inside I was berating myself; it was an interesting contrast that left me listening to it late at night! The main lyric, "I'm workin' for the knife," felt very symbolic to many of the doubts and concerns faced by me and my peers of an endless stream of working until you are dead. In addition, the inner turmoil she faces in finding a purpose that surprises her was very relatable. Overall, this track gets a 6/10.
3. Stay Soft
In my opinion, this is one of the more underrated tracks in the album. The lyrics are insanely beautiful, poetic, and I love the chorus so much. The overall story of the song entails the struggle faced when creating callouses for oneself, whether that be in love or internal turmoil. I love the way she projects her voice in the chorus, singing "You stay soft," as a way to scream at herself. However, despite the beauty of this song, it is very very repetitive to the point where I was getting annoyed at the fact that the chorus was so catchy. In addition, it unfortunately really sounded like something I would hear in a retail store, and for Mitski, that is a huge downgrade. Overall, the song gets a 7.5/10.
4. Everyone
I had to take a deep breath for how much I hated this track. I absolutely hated the synthesizers in this song, and the whole song sounded like I was listening to a suspenseful battle track from Super Mario Galaxy ready to fight an emo Bowser. The lyrics really gave me the feeling of "Woe is me," and it honestly just felt like a filler track with little to no love, which is rather strange for Mitski. However, the only thing saving this track was the final verse, in which she sings, "Sometimes I think I am free/Until I find I'm back in line again" . I felt that this verse completed the overall meaning of the album, and for that, I will bump up this song to a 4/10 instead of a 3/10.
5. Heat Lightning
Wow, what a beautiful track. Apart from the name of the song sounding insanely cool, the lyrics were absolutely amazing. The way Mitski elaborates on surrendering the last of herself to her mental illness in such a poetic way made me tear up. She accepts the fact that there is nothing she can do to fix her decomposition, and in the calm before the storm, accepts her fate. The piano played right after the chorus leading into the second verse made me feel as though I was crying, as it felt very ethereal. Overall, I would rate this track an 8/10.
6. The Only Heartbreaker
Even though this song has, seemingly, the least amount of effort put into the lyrics, it has the most catchy beat (not as catchy as Washing Machine Heart, however) on the album. I really didn't enjoy the lyrics, as it felt very lazy; the chorus was pretty much the only line in the song. For an album that took four years to create, I was disappointed that there wasn't much done to make the songs deeper, and this track was evidence of that lack of effort. Overall, this song gets a 5/10.
7. Love Me More
This is the track that really made me feel as if I was listening to an 80's song. With heavy synthesizers and an exploding chorus, this song made me feel as though I was having a dramatic dance routine in a really sappy movie. The lyrics written for the verses were so much better than the chorus, in my opinion. Struggling with yourself and running away from old destructive habits was a theme I could really resonate with in this song. However, this song really made me feel like I was in an empty department store, which in this case, wasn't the best thing. Overall, I rate this song a 6/10.
8. There's Nothing Left Here for You
This was the song I rated the most "mid" for this album. It wasn't good, but it wasn't great. There was really nothing that made it stand out, and frankly, I really did not enjoy the monotone synthesizers used throughout the whole song. However, I did enjoy the "heartbeat" sounding throughout the song, which fades out at the end. as for the lyrics, it again matched the very emo lyrics in Everyone. Overall, I rate this song a 4.5/10.
9. Should've Been Me
Another synth heavy song, this one felt more structured and layered. It had a good baseline (something I adore), nice guitar licks throughout, and a very catchy chorus. It made me want to get up and dance, much more than The Only Heartbreaker. I particularly loved the way she rang out, "I haven't given you what you need/you wanted me but couldn't reach me" as if she was yearning for herself back so that her lover could appreciate her properly. Overall, this song gets an 8/10.
10. I Guess
Second to last, this song was one of the only positive ones on the album. It was a very weird turn, and honestly, the backing track creeped me out a lot. It made me feel as though I was in some sort of blank, white void with an uncanny feeling. I felt as though I had to keep my guard up, and Mitski's soft singing really didn't make that feeling any better. Despite this, it was nice to see that she was accepting the end of a relationship through the lyrics, and that she was embracing the fact that she had to work on herself. The fact that she was accepting of the lessons learned in the relationship showed a lot to me in terms of her overall growth as an artist and person. Overall, I give this song a 9/10.
11. That's Our Lamp
In my opinion, this was probably the second worst song on the album. The synth beats in the beginning made me cringe, and it made me feel as though I was in a scene from Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared, and that something was going to come out and sing a creepy song to me. The general vibe this song gave me was a dying mall from the 80's that lurks with creepy figures in dark corners. However, the only thing that made me hate the song a little less was Mitski's fluid singing, as well as the vocal runs she does in between verses. Overall, this track gets a 4/10.
Overall, Laurel Hell was a big change in direction from what us Mitski fans are used to. I felt that the album used a bit too much of synthesizers, and that it needed more of the piano and strong, distorted guitar that really puts a classic Mitski song together. For four years of work, some of the songs left me disappointed, and I wish she would've let some of the lyrics brew a little longer before finalizing them. Despite this, it will be interesting to see what comes next for Mitski and her stories.
Cover photo courtesy of Clash Magazine.