Mitski’s new album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, is a strong addition to Mitski’s discography. Still, it may fall a little too much into her comfort zone lyrically.
At times, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me feels like a spiritual successor to her fourth album Puberty 2, and previous album The Land is Inhospitable, and So Am I, which is a nice way of saying lyrically this is more of the same.
At this point in her career, even people only familiar with Mitski’s music through TikTok know what to expect: sad girl songs.
That is not an insult.
It is rare to find an artist as good as Mitski is when it comes to capturing feelings of intense loneliness and fear.
Mitski’s poeticism towards the subjects she covers, whether that be the fear of leaving a relationship because it means you might be alone forever (“If I Leave”) or doom scrolling to avoid your horrible thoughts (“Where’s My Phone?”) is commendable.
Unfortunately, in her case, it has become stale.
The best lyrical moment on Nothing’s About to Happen to Me is, “I see him through my window/The white neighbourhood cat marking my house/It’s supposed to be my house/But I guess, according to cats, now it’s his house,” for the sheer hilarity and truth for anyone familiar with owning a cat.
Again, her lyrics are good, it is more than it feels like she is just pumping out more of what is expected of her.
However, it is the instrumentation that shines.
According to the Apple Music description for the album, she initially intended to record the album with a rock band before choosing to strip down the tracks after they were demoed, adding instead live instruments and an orchestra.
This choice works really, really well.
While “Where’s My Phone?,””If I Leave,” and, “Rules ” are structurally similar to her Puberty 2 sound, the live instruments really bring that alternative rock punch to life.
Meanwhile, on “Cats” and “Dead Women,” the orchestra brings extra texture and emotional depth to the lyrics through instrumentation.
She also expands on the country sound she experimented with on The Land is Inhospitable, and So Am I, which also makes this album a brighter listen than her previous one.
More than any other track though, “That White Cat” sticks out for its bossa nova-esque inspirations.
“That White Cat” is a banger. It’s almost easy to forget that, at its core, it is a song about finding one thing in life willing to live for.
Lyrically, it may not be the most novel album within Mitski’s discography.
It is the experimentation with a live band and orchestra that turns this album into a highlight for alternative music within the past year.
