Mitski is a Japanese-American alternative/indie artist who has recently gotten very popular, going viral on Instagram and TikTok. She is known for being soulful and raw, but many people don’t listen past her hits. However, Mitski is so much deeper than “Nobody,” “Me and My Husband,” and “I Bet on Losing Dogs,” and I would like to bring light to all her music and give my personal analysis of each song—starting with her first studio album Lush, released in 2012.
“Liquid Smooth”
This is the first song on the album, and it hits hard. Mitski’s tendency towards crescendo gives a calm illusion to her music. This song starts out with a soft piano, but her voice gets more powerful as the song goes on. At peak intensity, there are strong strings and cymbals. The narrator speaks about being beautiful and at their best through lyrics like “I’m in my prime” and “I’m at my highest peak.” Alongside this, the narrator is conveying their desirability and willingness to be objectified. This fits with the narrator never describing themselves as anything human. They are biology, an organism, chemical, ripe, and liquid smooth, but nothing inherently human.
“Wife”
“Wife” is a chilling song about the stereotype of a wife. A wife belonging to her husband, and the mother of children for the purpose of extending the bloodline. Except this Wife is not able to have children, specifically a son. She also speaks about wanting to “give him a name of my own.” This Wife is not only not the stereotype, but she actively goes against it. I unironically consider this song modern feminist literature, as it deals with the real feelings of a hypothetical woman stuck in a one-sided marriage in which she cannot keep up her end of the social contract. It’s tragic and shows how good of a writer and musician Mitski is.
“Abbey”
This song is all-too-relatable for most people. The aching feeling that something is missing or that something is wrong, but you cannot place what. Even Mitski’s composition makes your heart sink in your chest. The feeling is deeply unsettling. It starts out completely a capella, and it feels ghostly and haunting. Then, into the second verse, a bass drum and clapping are added, the string beat leading the listener to the end. This song exemplifies something very important about Mitski: her lyrics do not matter. She is an amazing lyricist, but her musical abilities far surpass the need for words. If she wants the listener to feel something, they will feel it.
“Brand New City”
The lyrics for this song are harrowing. Brand New City is very obviously about the effects of drug use, namely depression and overdosing. The narrator feels like they are losing control of their life, so they are self-medicating, which only perpetuates the problem. The narrator describes tangible effects of the drug. “Think my brain is rotting in places / I think my heart is ready to die,” Mitski sings. She moves into detail about the philosophical effects: “I think my fate is losing its patience” and “I think my life is losing momentum.” This song is about a person spiraling into worse and worse habits and perpetuating their own isolation. Even though the lyrics are so dark, the beat of the drums and guitar keeps your head bobbing along.
“Eric”
The narrator expresses her want for control, and she acts like she has it. She tells Eric to fix her skirt, and he does. The narrator is vying for control that she does not have. She is in love with someone she shouldn’t or doesn’t want to be in love with. For whatever reason, the narrator is not supported to be in love with Eric. When the narrator says, “I know the rules,” she may be hinting at being a mistress or a coworker to Eric. Regardless of what kind of inappropriate relationship they have, this song drips with desire. The longing violins layer with Mitski’s voice so well, and the light drums feel like a heartbeat throughout the most intense parts of the song.
“Bag of Bones”
This song means a lot to me. The narrator is an introvert and loner who craves interaction and intimacy. Mitski’s voice is so tender that you can’t help but feel pity for her loneliness. Her descriptions are so vivid regardless if you relate to this song or not. I cannot put into words how deep this song is; you just have to listen to it. Find a quiet place to sit and spend four minutes and 36 seconds with your eyes closed, just feeling this song.
“Door”
The lyrics are pretty vague and confusing, but the last two lines, “A hopeless violence / I named it love” still have their impact. To me, the door represents elusive truths one can only find at rock bottom. Even when you finally find them, you may not be in the best place to fully understand them. This is my least favorite song on this album, but that does not make it any less meaningful. This is a great example of how the music can matter more than the lyrics when it comes to Mitski.
“Pearl Diver”
I like to think this song is narrated by a pearl, and she is watching as a pearl diver, a treasure hunter, dies before he can reach her. The pearl watches as he sinks further into the ocean. The song starts very somber, but crescendos into this very powerful piano piece. This song makes the ocean a double-edged sword. It is deep and dangerous, but the ocean is loving and encompassing. This song is a little less complicated than some others on this album, with only a piano, but it’s stunning nonetheless.
“Real Men”
This is an interesting song because it says one thing when it means the opposite. When the narrator defines real men, she describes idealistic traits of strong women, especially mothers. She describes women who are supposed to keep everything together all by themselves. When the narrator illustrates little boys, she emasculates men and portrays the most childish attributes of men. Mitski uses this fascinating setup as a foil, since the role she plays reverses when it comes to intimacy. The narrator is strong and independent until the door is closed, so to speak.
I have a hard time saying that Lush is Mitski’s worst album because I hold it so close, and it is very good. But she has objectively improved her sound as an artist from her very first album. So, while not all of this music is appealing to everyone, I could only truly appreciate Mitski once I appreciated her beginnings—and I hope you can appreciate her, too.
