Album Review: “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me” by Mitski

Whenever I come across mentions of Mitski or listen to her music, I remember some memes I’ve come across on the internet, ones showing her face with the captions “Therapists HATE her!,” “she gives free therapy sessions and comforts millions a day,” “friendly neighborhood sad girl exposes shocking secrets to life,” etc. Perhaps for the uninitiated, this is the best indicator of what Mitski’s music is: vignettes of honesty, crippling yet restrained self-doubt and flourishes of crushing sadness mixed with oodles of charm and humor. This makes her music often unbearable yet cinematic. Mitski’s music has made her a cult figure among millennials and Gen Z as both generations have replaced emotional repression with catharsis. Perhaps no one understands the impact of her music and fame more than Mitski herself. Her unease with fame and recognition is documented with the added scrutiny of being an Asian American woman in the public eye. This led her to briefly quit music in 2019. However, Mitski had to quit music in order to fall in love with it again. Her return has produced two amazing albums. “Laurel Hell” (2022) and “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We” (2023) have made her bigger and more relevant in the current musical landscape. Therefore, as a longtime fan, it makes me happy to say that her latest album, “Nothing’s About to Happen to Me,” is another stellar addition to her legendary discography, and something that rewards repeat listens.

“If I Leave” is devastating (“if I leave, somebody else will find you / but nobody else could see me / quite as clearly as you”). “Where’s My Phone?” is indie rock goodness, laced with scathing self-doubt. I have to mention “Cats.” It’s a pleasant but harrowing song, where Mitski ponders what she needs to be like in order to keep her lover and how she deals with loneliness on their leaving (“in the meantime, rescues at my side / our two cats, both asleep by me tonight / maybe tomorrow night / the cats will be nowhere in sight / but I’ll be glad to know / thеy’re out following their heart’s dеlight”). “Dead Women” is a critique of societal expectations of women and how it becomes easy to frame women in some preconceived notion once they have no control over their image (“would you have liked me better if I’d died / so you could tell my story the way it ought to be?”). The production of this album (which is incredibly handled by longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland) and Mitski’s beautiful voice really shine through on “I’ll Change for You,” a bossa nova inspired track that talks about the enveloping loneliness inside, even in crowded places.

“Rules” is somewhat of a humorous turn, even though the subject matter is depressing (it’s a Mitski song, what did I expect?). It talks about what she needs to do to fit in line to be admired and desired (“I’ll be alone for a while / but I’m only crying ’cause it feels good / I’ll have a new haircut, I will be somеbody else”). Cats are a recurring motif on this album, as evident on the next song “That White Cat,” in a song exploring impermanence and nihilism (“when I die, what do you hold onto?”). “Charon’s Obol” is a sweet song inspired by Greek folklore and tells the story of a woman who pays tributes to the dead by feeding the hounds the dead women of that house. Charon is a Greek God who ferries souls through the underworld and performs funeral rites across rivers Acheron and Styx, and the obols (low-value coins) are part of the funeral rituals. The song is rich in its abstract imagery, and Mitski revels in its beauty. With “Lightning,” the album closes on a somber note, contemplating death and the afterlife.

Overall, I was impressed, enthralled, devastated and hopeful in equal measure listening to the new Mitski album, and I believe it will be a rewarding listen for whoever enjoys passionately executed baroque and chamber pop music. May Mitski continue to deliver amazing work for years to come!