I can’t be the only one who gets the impression that she shares a lot of traits of ADHD individuals. It might sound rooted in stereotypes (going on tangents, having clustered thoughts, being talkative, and showing some unusual behavior) but as somebody with ADHD I see a lot of myself in her personality.
What are your thoughts?
I’ve seen a lot of criticism regarding her new album. Its reasonable why the Americana / Country vibes seem off to some people, especially because most people revere Mitski’s music for her indie-rock era (Puberty 2 / Bury Me) or her more slow / heart-wrenching songs (My love mine all mine). But I contend that the reasons behind the critique are a bit more nuanced than this.
I think that the Album shows how Mitski’s songwriting has developed. The themes and lyricism of the album feel much more matured and refined to previously. There are some overlaps (e.g. the glamorization of beauty, the injustices towards of women in society and monotony) but I feel like Mitski writes in a significantly more ambitious fashion if we look at her lyricism. While there are definitely some own experiences (If I leave), it does feel much more philosophical (That White Cat) / less self-centered. For instance, in the song “That White Cat”, the titular white cat serves as a metaphor as something which intrudes on one’s property. It begs the narrator to question as to what truly belongs to them, because their mother’s advice (“The only thing you can trust is what you’ve lived through”) is rendered inapplicable in the wake of death itself. We see this as an evolution of Mitski’s ideas, because in her song my love mine all mine she explored this idea from a subjective standpoint “Nothing in the world belongs to me, but my love mine all mine”. Here it is presented in a much more philosophical fashion. This idea of less ego / self-focus is the reason I attribute most dislike towards the new album to. It just feels like a tremendous evolution of her style.
We can see this shift in the instrumentation as well. While there are the aforementioned Americana differences - which did significantly impact the reception of the album - we also have Where’s my Phone. It’s given that a significant portion of her audience would go on to assume the album be much more indie rock oriented as a result of this lead single, but I personally appreciate the variety it brings to the album. The bulk of her album is in a different style though. The most prominent example is Rules, which is unlike any Mitski song before. Since it is my favourite in the Album and one of my most favourite Mitski songs ever, I do firmly think it is well executed. From a mechanical standpoints, it’s incredibly well written. The chord progression, the unusual chorus featuring a counting. It could appear odd but is done well nevertheless. It might just not be to the liking of some audiences.
The most glaring aspect I’ve heard is that the album “leads nowhere”. It does truly seem as if nothings about to happen. To some extent this is supported by the album itself; Lightning as the closing track ends abruptly. In the case of Lightning, I think that this is rooted in the lyricism itself. Even when Mitski is on the brink of epiphany (“If im dark all the better to reflect the moonlight / If I mourn all the better to behold the sunrise”) it is immediately interrupted. This could be attributed to the lightning or the idea that illumination is ephemeral. The last word of the album is “Polo”, a reference to a children’s game. The reaction to the narrators thoughts on death is a literal reference to a children‘s game. It perfectly fits into the album‘s theme of “feeling stuck” or attaining closure. Paradoxically, it is the most closure a song can provide for the album in particular.
Nonetheless, it is understandable to find this conclusion anticlimactic. More broadly speaking: many songs require a bit closer examination to fully hit, because the lyrics are closely intertwined with the music. Thats why I think Rules is disliked. Most might perceive the country tunes as jarring, but they juxtapose the sense of passivity, routine and self-sabotage that the narrator is experiencing. The entire songs portrays the narrator as keenly aware of the cyclical damage they impose themselves through their repeated actions in romantic pairings: “Number three, you will ruin me”. Despite this admittance, which exacerbates the pain, the music is upbeat. This shows the source of the issue; understanding but emotional disconnect. The chorus repeating the numbers 1-10 only serves to highlight this. If we examine this through a musical lens, I get why it is the source of criticism. This principle could be applied to the abrupt ending of Lightning as well; but it is imperative to consider context here. In terms of an artwork, I feel like it is much more ingenious than older Mitski albums for exactly that reason.
I understand why the album may feel underwhelming. Frankly, it took me some time and more thorough exploration of the albums to attain appreciation.
But I think that we need to think of the lyrical and artistic background of the album. I mean, the cat imagery of the album cover alone just shows how incredibly ambitious the album is artistically. Cats are presented from many different angles, the comfort and later in the song rescue that the house cats in “Cats” provide despite the decaying relationship; the direct metaphor of cats representing a relationship or its qualities living in despite separation (“Maybe tomorrow night, the cats will be nowhere in sight / But I‘ll be glad to know they’re out following their hearts delight”); or the White Cat.
The White Cat, an intruding presence which usurps everything that is sacred to the domestic orange tabby. The white Cat, a symbol of beauty and social liability in feral cat colonies, is embodying all of these negative ideas. And it requires the orange tabby to intervene. But we never truly know what happens. The orange cat even appears to be acting instinctually.
The question is: will this instinctual behaviour truly better the situation or succeed at all? Will the isolation portrayed in many of the songs truly serve to improve the situation or worsen it? Will there ever be a conclusion on pondering the reality that death and the passing of time bring upon us?
This intertextual and coherent complexity, coupled with the role the music plays in amplifying the messaging, is why I believe it to be one of her best albums.