Mitsuki Miyawaki — better known by her stage name Mitski — is a Japanese-American singer, songwriter, and composer whose music often defies easy categorization. Dynamically blending indie, art-pop, and alt-rock, she pairs raw, intimate lyrics with soundscapes that feel both expansive and theatrical. Across her work, Mitski returns again and again to themes of longing, identity, and emotion. Her aesthetic is melancholic, and she is able to curate her music in a way that feels both deeply personal, while being strikingly universal.

“I love Mitski’s confessional nature. I love strong lyric writers, and I found her vulnerability and her honesty very compelling,” Lincoln East English teacher Eric Sayre noted.

Her most recent album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We,” marked a noticeable shift in Mitski’s usual work. While her earlier albums such as “Lush” contain orchestral arrangements, or punk synth-pop as seen in “Laurel Hell”, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” holds a completely different vibe. It almost feels folkish — deliberately using more acoustic elements to create a western, country-like vibe. Though it strays from her familiar tones, the album still channels the raw emotional expression Mitski is known for.

“She went with the more like, as she says herself, she was embracing her ‘more American’ side,” Lawson Pearl, a Lincoln East student and longtime Mitski fan commented about the album, adding, “I would say it’s not my favorite album out of all of her albums, and I still think it is absolutely incredible.”

On September 8, 2025, it was announced that Mitski’s new concert film, “Mitski: The Land”, would receive a limited time theatrical release on October 22 and 26. Directed by Grant James, the film captures performances from Atlanta’s Fox Theatre over the span of three nights. It features a seven-piece band and choreography by Monica Mirabile. Alongside tracks from “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We,” the film reimagines songs from across different points in her career, with audio mixed by her longtime producer Patrick Hyland.

With the film’s release just around the corner, there is no better time to revisit the album that inspired it. To help prepare for “Mitski: The Land,” here are my top five standout tracks from “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We,” along with two honorable mentions worth pressing play before heading down to the theatres.

#5 – The Deal

With its lyrics plastered on the back of the vinyl’s sleeve, this song stands out in its own special way. It contains rich, melancholic instrumentals that mirror some of Mitski’s earlier work. The song describes a midnight walk where you accept a “deal,” trading a soul and all of the burdens it carries for freedom. And yet, in the end, it is found you are left as a “cage” without it. The song’s meaning is about how you discover the beautiful things about the world and yourself that you probably wouldn’t have if you didn’t stop and listen to the sounds of the night.

#4 – Bug Like an Angel

Leading the album as the first song, “Bug Like an Angel” is the introduction to what “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” holds. This song is slow and smooth, yet holds heavy topics related to drinking and the promises of sobriety carried by gospel-like backing vocals.

“It’s such a great first song. It’s got an amazing build, It’s got some confessional stuff. I think it’s a brilliant song, one of her best in years,” Sayre said, commending the song.

#3 – I’m Your Man

This song is overwhelming in a beautiful way. It almost feels like the barking you hear in the background starts to catch up to you. This song holds themes of betrayal, destructiveness, and tumultuous relationship dynamics. By implementing archetypes of dogs, angels, and god, it tells us a story of power and the inevitable degradation between those roles.

#2 – I Don’t Like My Mind

It’s a shame Mitski doesn’t like her mind, because the lyricism within this song is beyond genius. The format of the song makes you feel as if you are physically moving along with both the lyrics and melody. It is a dizzying feeling, and the overwhelmingness that Mitski’s thoughts hold is pushed onto the listener. It shows such human reactions to things like obsessive and intrusive thoughts, along with the destructive behaviors that accompany them.

“My favorite song on the album is ‘I Don’t Like My Mind,’” Pearl said, adding, “I love the way the instrumental sound really paints a picture of a dizzying feeling, like a spinning room.”

#1 – Heaven

This song is exactly as it sounds. Mitski blesses us with vocals that may as well be sent down from heaven. This song details a deep, cherished connection with the one you love and how little time you have to spend with them. It mentions a storm outside, slowly approaching, but the love is so overwhelming that it almost acts as a sanctuary — holding onto what they have in the moment instead of focusing on what hardships and troubles lie outside of it. The song is smooth, and you can feel the bittersweetness within each breath Mitski takes.

HM – My Love Mine All Mine

Sitting at over 1.7 billion streams, this song is Mitski’s top song for a reason. Though it is often overplayed without thought into the meaning, it is still a beautiful song with lyrics that absolutely deserve the proper recognition. The entire premise of the song is that love is both the most valuable and permanent thing one can possess. All other things are transient — our belongings, minds, and bodies — and yet the only thing that endures and withstands us is our love.

HM – I Love Me After You

This is the second to last streamed song on “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We”, which I find completely unfair. This song doesn’t exactly match the country-esque vibe the album holds, and is much more chipper than the more solemn tones seen within the other songs. It is about the freeing experience of finding yourself after leaving a relationship that was holding you back from your true self. It shows how care-free and hopeful it is to reclaim a more you-centered identity.

These few songs only scratch the surface of what Mitski creates on “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.” It is an album that finds itself lingering long after the last note, and will soon spill over to the big screen accompanied by Mitski’s other poignant tracks from her previous albums.