Here is my take on Mitski’s newest album and a few of my favorite lines. (Yes, I cried.)
Bug Like an Angel
At first, this song is giving classic Mitski. Then, it goes a little more into the vibe of the rest of this new album. The choral voices on this track are absolutely beautiful, and though they are sparse, they elevate the song to something so much more fulfilling (even though it would have been great anyway if it was just Mitski, of course). However, that first “family” done by the choir gives me chills every time. Mitski is just so raw, and her songs say so much about her experiences that make you feel what she is feeling; it’s just amazing.
Buffalo Replaced
This song has a very mellow beat that ties in well with the album. This is one song where I don’t know what to think because I’m not sure I understand it, and I’m okay with that. It’s still a good song, and I will listen to it forever because Mitski made it. The lines “Sometimes I think it would be easier without her, But I know nothing can hurt me when I see her sleepin’ face” make me feel something. I’m not sure what it is, but I am feeling it.
Heaven
This is easily one of my favorites on the album. The intro gives a kind of country vibe, which I love. This song reminds me that no one does longing like Mitski. She understands me so well, more than anyone else ever could. This song gives me the idea of a safe place; when everything else around is scary, there is that one place you can go back to (in this case, it’s a person) and feel safe.
I don’t like my mind
This song is a perfect representation of me. I have felt everything she sings about; every single line is an experience I have had at one time or another. Not wanting to be left alone, turning the music up so loud you can’t hear your thoughts, working yourself to the bone because a job may be the only thing occupying your mind, keeping the bad thoughts away. The line about eating a whole cake is also something I relate to: binge eating to keep the feelings away, to the point where you become sick, is so incredibly real. This is a perfect example of what I mean when I say Mitski is the only one that gets me, and I know so many other people feel the same way.
The deal
I love a song that tells a story, and Mitski does this a lot. However, it is especially obvious in this song. The story of her going on a walk at midnight and begging into the darkness for her soul to be taken away because of all that is weighing on her and wanting nothing in return but the consequences. Wow. Also, when she says, “I want someone to take this soul,” I got heavy flashbacks to “I Want You” from “retired from sad, new career in business,” which is my absolute favorite Mitski album, so I really liked that. I appreciate the way she conveyed the idea of feeling so hopeless and weighed down that you beg for your soul to be taken away. The final words from the bird on the streetlight had me in tears.
When Memories snow
This song has a little jam to it, so I was grooving a little. The line “And if I break, could I go on break” had me. Only after I have become broken do I get a break. What?! She is such an amazing lyricist, and she has me in awe every time. The whole concept of lying alone in the dark and remembering things you’d rather not is genuinely so relatable, too. While this isn’t my favorite on the album, I still love how much I can relate to it.
My love mine all mine
You probably saw this coming, but this is my absolute favorite song on the album. Since the album came out, I have listened to this song over and over again because it is just that good. Mitski said she thought it while carrying groceries. Like, what?! She is an actual genius and so incredibly talented that it baffles me. This song always has me in tears because it is so beautiful. The idea of her sending her love up to the moon to shine down on those she loves, even after she is gone from the world? Heartbreaking. All she has to herself, the only thing she alone owns, is her love, and she is sending it away so that it can shine on you because she loves you that much. Wow.
(On a separate note, the AI cover of Lana Del Rey singing this is absolutely perfect. I would give anything for the real Lana Del Rey to cover it and put it on Spotify, so I can have it and the original at my disposal.)
The frost
This song also sort of gives country vibes to me, obviously because of the instruments used, but I love it. It reminds me of an early Dolly Parton song, which I love as both Dolly Parton and Mitski’s biggest fan. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: Mitski is so great at getting people to feel what she is feeling, and she conveys the feelings of loneliness and abandonment so well in her songs that it sickens me sometimes, but in a good way. Also, the part about losing her best friend, so she has no one to tell that she lost her best friend, is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. It can be incredibly devastating to lose that one person you told everything to, and once that person is gone, who are you supposed to tell after losing the one person you trusted with your feelings?
Star
As a certified stargirl, of course I love this song. The very object of the song, comparing love to a star, is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. And saying, “That love is like a star; It’s gone, we just see it shining; It’s traveled very far” is just so… The way a star can still be seen after it has been destroyed because its light has traveled so far?! And love can still be felt and remembered even after a relationship has ended because of how far the people traveled together?! That is an amazing comparison. Wow.
I’m Your Man
“You believe me like a God; I’ll betray you like a man.” Mitski said she wrote this song using the man inside her head as inspiration. That is just heartbreaking. This song tells the perspective of men that many women, specifically Mitski herself, have. It’s so sad, honestly. Her TikTok (@mitskileaks) has a video describing making the song and her thought process, and it shows how real she is, a true artist. She is involved so much in making her music, and you can tell she is truly passionate about it and puts time and effort into every song.
I Love me After you
First of all, the title itself is enough to break my heart. People always preach to love yourself before you love someone else, but in this song, you kind of see the flipside. You see how it is to love someone before you love yourself. This song is pretty short lyric-wise, so I don’t have a ton to say about it. However, it is the last song on the album, and I love how Mitski makes her albums flow. She does this especially well in Puberty 2, but it makes it feel more like an album and less like a bunch of random songs thrown together. This song adds well to this idea because the way it fades out in the end provides closure to the album, leaving the listener satisfied. Heartbroken but satisfied. It helps also that I could listen to Mitski vocalize and sing “ooh” and “ahh” for the rest of my life.
In summary
Mitski hit this out of the park once again. As I was saying, she truly cares and is passionate about her music, and it shines through in its quality and beauty. I love her so much, and her music is everything to me. Overall, I rate this album 8.5/10.